Supernova
by Willow Athena
Summary: A mysterious girl appears & kisses Byakuya, and everyone catches him in the act.I would languish without you, she thought, but refused to cause him any further pain, and silently wasted away, waiting for permission to breathe once more. IchiRukRen dilemma
1. First sight

**Supernova**

By Willow Athena

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach…but _Girl X_ is definitely mine

**Author's Note:** A supernova: It is both creation and destruction in one. Life and death. Beauty and chaos. In the very moment of destruction, it gives birth to new life, ripples through time and journeys across space.

But that's just my take on it.

I don't really like summaries, I don't even read the blurbs on the backs of books – I like a mystery, but I understand why some people crave them. Although I don't like to give any thing away, I will give a general summary of characters and the beginning plot.

Please review, this is my first story, and I crave encouragement.

**Summary:** _Staring_ in no particular order: Byakuya, Renji, Rukia, Ichigo, Ishida (I will update each chapter as new characters appear). A mysterious girl appears & kisses Byakuya, and everyone catches him in the act. He is enraged by her actions, and their repercussions. Everything about her is a mystery and Ichigo and the team attempt to solve it and uncover all the beautiful girl's secrets.

* * *

**Supernova**

**Chapter 1 – First sight**

Byakuya was alone at last. He let out a sigh of relief. Tonight's dinner with Rukia, Ichigo and Ishida was almost unbearable. He now questioned his decision to allow them to stay at the Kuchiki manor during their summer holiday training.

Byakuya felt the intensity of the summer heat mock him defiantly. He left the door of his bedroom open, but there was no breeze. He took off his scarf and his captain's haori. Byakuya carefully placed them on the coat hanger next to his desk. He took off his kenseikan and let his hair flow freely, cascading down his face as he bent, one knee on the ground, and placed the fragile kenseikan on his low desk.

It came without warning. He was surprised. Mouth agape, he fell backwards as the weight of a body pushed down on him. Then soft supple lips and curtains of long black hair engulfed him in a kiss. He heard footsteps racing towards him. He could feel her body now – she wore nothing. He swiftly pulled the bottom of his captains haori and threw it over them – causing the coat hanger to fall on his desk, scattering everything on it. Now, more footsteps mobilised.

"Byakuya!" Ichigo's crass voice called out as saw the haori fall on top of the naked girl.

Her eyes opened for the first time. They were the colour of the ocean during a full moon, and remained fixated on Byakuya, who looked startled like he had been caught doing something he was not supposed to. Byakuya pulled himself out of the kiss, as Ishida, Rukia, and the Kuchiki clan's armed guards appeared.

Ichigo was pushed out of the way by the distinct ring of katanas being unsheathed. The girl lithely flipped into the air and landed, right knee touching the ground, in front of Byakuya, as if to fiercely protect him.

She held the haori closed with her left hand.

That's when Ichigo noticed it.

In Byakuya's sleeveless haori, they could all see her right arm materialise out of thin air, and stretch at a 45 degree angle from her body. As her hand materialised, in seconds, a katana also materialised in it.

Byakuya noticed, that in his rush to cover this girl with the haori, he had scattered everything on his desk. Hisana's picture now lay shattered on the ground. This was one of the few things that could anger him, and he could not contain it.

The girl had defiantly stood up and protectively growled at the guards. They looked unsure of what to do about the scantly clad girl in Kuchiki taichou's haori.

It came like a crack of white lightening on a still summer's night.

"Arrest her." He said, with venom infusing every syllable. She looked shocked and confused, and turned to looked at Byakuya searchingly. Byakuya released a quarter of his reiatsu, causing both the girl and Rukia to fall to the ground.

As she fell, she dropped her katana and reached her right hand towards him – searching for comfort.

"Bya-ku-ya?" Her lyrical voice was seductive – like an emotion infused symphony that tugged at the heartstrings of all who heard it except him.

He released a third of his reiatsu now, and let the force of it push down hard on the girl's will to stay conscious.

Byakuya won – he always did. The girl, all the guards in the room, and Rukia lay unconscious on the floor.

* * *

Renji arrived late as usual.

"I noticed a spike in your reiatsu Kuchiki taichou." Renji announced as he shunpo'ed into the room.

"What happened here?" Renji asked glancing around him.

"Byakuya, you idiot - stop releasing your reiatsu!" Ichigo demanded propping Rukia against his chest.

Byakuya hadn't noticed he was doing it, he was still angry – not that anyone could see that through his façade of indifference. He held his reiatsu in once more and walked towards the shattered picture of his deceased wife. He gently brushed the glass off of it and placed it in his desk drawer.

"Why is this dazzling beauty wearing your haori, taichou? I always told the others you were a ladies man!" Renji joked peering over the unconscious girl. His constant impertinence often annoyed Byakuya, but it could not penetrate his now rising anger.

"Take her to the 6th squad's holding cells, Abarai fukutaichou." Byakuya said with distain – unable, this once, to keep the emotion out of his voice.

"Taichou?" Renji looked concerned. Emotions rarely crossed Byakuya's face. Looking at him now, Renji could imagine the humanity behind the mask. Perhaps he was human after all, Renji mused as he felt his goal of exceeding his captain become more attainable.

"Did you not hear me Abarai fukutaichou?" The now impassive Byakuya said dismissively. Renji was amazed at the quick set of the familiar mask. But, it was too late, Renji's hope could not be dismissed that easily, he had already glimpsed at the humanity.

Ishida knelt down beside the unconscious girl, took off his belt, and used it to securely fasten the haori around the girl's petite frame. It was then that Renji noticed the girl's long bare legs and feet and began to blush, turning a shade close to his hair. He quickly averted his eyes and waited for Ishida. Ishida was silent, clam, and gentle with the intruder.

As Renji bent down, scooping the girl up, he looked at Ichigo and Ishida, letting them know he needed the whole story from them. As he stood up with her, her long veil of straight, jet black hair fell away from her face and lay limply across Renji's arms.

Renji had been looking at the girl's small, petite, unarmed figure since he got there, but until now, he could not contemplate how someone so small could cause so much trouble – but, now it was clear _Beautiful women are always trouble_, he thought to himself, Rukia was proof enough of that.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Thanks a lot for reading my story. I really appreciate it.

The next chapter is so much better, I promise. But I just had to set the scene. I didn't want to give much character info away, so I left the character reflections and idiosyncrasies out until later chapters. I'd like to let them develop rather than just copy cliché ones from Bleach. But, I promise I will try my hardest to never let any of the OC's stray from their personalities – that's why we love them.

Please review, and don't be too mean, it is my first story.

Willow


	2. That which we'd call a rose

**Supernova**

By Willow Athena

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach…but _Girl X_ is definitely mine

**Author's Note:** A supernova: It is both creation and destruction in one. Life and death. Beauty and chaos. In the very moment of destruction, it gives birth to new life, ripples through time and journeys across space.

But that's just my take on it.

I don't really like summaries, I don't even read the blurbs on the backs of books, but I understand why some people crave them. Although I don't like to give any thing away, I will give a general summary of characters and the beginning plot.

Please review, this is my first story, and I crave encouragement.

**Summary:** Staring in no particular order: Byakuya, Renji, Rukia, Ichigo, Ishida (I will update each chapter as new characters appear). A mysterious girl appears & kisses Byakuya, and everyone catches him in the act. He is enraged by her actions, and their repercussions. Everything about her is a mystery and Ichigo and the team attempt to solve it and uncover all the beautiful girl's secrets.

* * *

**Chapter 2 **

**That which we'd call a rose…**

She weighed nothing in his arms as he shunpo'ed to the 6th squad's barracks. Everyone on guard at the holding cells were also taken aback by her serene beauty – even unconscious she looked indescribable. As he placed her down in the lone hard cot in the cell, he knew he would react to her the same as the others did if his heart was not already occupied.

"Beautiful enough to affect even the coldest of hearts!" He whispered referring, to his taichou. She looked so peaceful, so innocent.

It took Renji half an hour to clear the holding area of all the spectators who wanted to see 'the naked girl in Kuchiki taichou's haori'. It took him another 15 minutes to quash all the hopes of the volunteers who eagerly wanted to watch her until morning so they could be close when the scandal broke the next day.

An hour after Renji's arrival, Ichigo and Ishida arrived to fill him in.

"Rukia?"

"Resting until morning." Ichigo off-handedly replied.

"Well?!" Renji probed.

"Byakuya had his eyes closed and was holding and kissing the naked girl when I got there." Ichigo smugly recounted as he placed his hand behind his head and began to blush.

Ishida related the rest of the story to Renji without the innuendo attached.

" Where is her katana?" Renji asked.

"I didn't see it when I got there," he added, a little worried.

Ichigo realised that in his attempt to save Rukia, he had missed what had happened to the katana. "Umm…", he searched his memory. The blank look on Ichigo's face often annoyed Ishida, who missed nothing. _Honestly, how could the brute be so blind,_ he thought.

"It disintegrated as she let go of it, but before it could hit the ground – just like her hand, and I'm guessing, her whole body appeared out of thin air." Ishida authoritatively stated, trying to piece things together. Ishida had been contemplating all the possibilities, but was still no closer to the truth. This dumbfoundedness was not something he was used to, and it did nothing to improve his mood.

"Byakuya wants you to put a spirit suppressing collar on her before she wakes up – just in case she tries to escape," Ichigo added, having been suddenly reminded of the possible danger the girl could pose.

"I can't sense that she has any reiatsu at all – not even a little," Ishida offered. Both Renji and Ichigo agreed with him, but Renji followed his taichou's orders none the less.

Ishida would not sleep easily until he figured it out, but his mind was an exhausted, empty blank at the moment. They all sat around the desk discussing what she could be and how she had managed to get into Byakuya's room, but their circular arguments were getting them nowhere.

* * *

Morning broke.

Ishida, Ichigo and Renji were woken by Rukia pulling the keys grasped in Renji's hand, and noisily heading towards the cell where the girl lay soundlessly.

"Rukia!" Renji chased after her as the other two woke up.

"She's probably still unconscious!" Renji added as he tried to calm the obviously furious Rukia. But, the rattling of the keys in the lock had startled the girl, who quickly retreated to the corner of the bed with her legs tucked under her chin. As they all entered the cell and saw her hidden in the corner, Ishida's heart softened at the look.

"Why did you try to kill Nii-sama?" Rukia accused, drawing her zanpakuto, and lunging for the girl. Ichigo and Renji deftly held Rukia back as Ishida stood protectively in front of the terrified girl.

"Nii-sama?" Her voice rang like wind chimes from behind Ishida.

"Byakuya is her brother." Ishida offered, not trusting himself to turn around and look at her. The memory of her soft skin still distracted him.

"Bya-ku-ya…oh!" She seemed like she was still piecing things together herself. She gingerly bit her bottom lip in concentration, as though trying to remember a dream eluding her waking mind.

"I would never hurt Byakuya. I was trying to protect him from the men with the katanas." She sounded child-like and sincere.

Ishida turned around to look at the girl. She looked confused, innocent, like a child – but, her height and build put her at around 18, maybe more.

"Where is your katana?" Renji interjected, trying to get to the bottom of their midnight discussion. He planned to surprise Byakuya with his competence, at how easy it was to solve this mystery. His need for respect from Byakuya, and his goal to exceed him were often at war with eachother. All he really wanted was to be worthy in Byakuya's eyes, worthy of the only thing that mattered to him, Rukia.

"I don't have a katana." She chimed at them innocently. Renji's hope plummeted with her words. Maybe he should try to look more menacing, he thought, but dismissed the idea as he looked at her bright, trusting face. He would never make a girl cry, and he hated men who did.

"I saw it in your hand last night!" Ichigo accused. Ishida let out a doubtful '_hmp_' at his words. They really weren't getting anywhere with her.

"Huh?" She still looked confused.

_Maybe she still needs to recover_, Ichigo thought.

"One side of the katana was black, and the other side was pure white." Ishida had noticed this last night, but said nothing until now. This was one of the reasons he had been so bothered by the whole situation.

"Like a zanpakuto?" Renji blurted what they were all thinking.

"I don't think so, she has no reiatsu to speak of. I don't think we should jump to conclusions." Ishida attempted to assure them, although they were no closer to explaining it.

The plainly written confused and innocent look on the beautiful girl's face had made Rukia's anger fizzle out. The girl looked so friendly and trusting. Perhaps she was just some poor departed soul who got side-tracked into Byakuya's room, due to some glitch in the soul burial ritual. Had Rukia been there last night, she would have known that they had discounted this theory already, but the thought gave Rukia some peace.

Ichigo put his hand on Rukia's head, turned her around and bent down to her height. "See, no one is trying to hurt your Nii-sama." Rukia returned his warm smile.

Renji had to leave before his anger lashed out and maimed Ichigo – permanently. "I'm going to take a nap." He abruptly announced.

"Ichigo, keep the spectators out today!" He added as he turned to leave.

Renji had noticed a change in the way Ichigo and Rukia interacted this past year, and it angered him. Ichigo was to turn 21 in a month – maybe he finally became interested in girls. All Renji knew was that Ichigo had better stay away from Rukia if he wanted to live to be 21.

It comforted Renji to think of how old and decrepit Ichigo would look in a few yeas time, and that he and Rukia would continue to look as young as they were today. The thought gave him solace everytime he saw Ichigo dare to touch her.

* * *

"What's your name?" Ishida finally asked the question he'd been holding in, his voice almost betraying his anxiety.

"Um…uh…" she looked like she was searching, and then she became very quiet. "I don't know", she finally offered despondently.

"Where do you come from?" Rukia threw in.

"Um…I'm…I'm not sure."

Ishida saw these truths begin to dawn on her, and the girl's face became sad and distant.

"Maybe we could call you something for now – I mean, until you can remember your name." Her eyes brightened at the idea. Ishida could not bare to see her sad face staring back at him, her look tugged on more than his compassion, although he would deny it if asked.

"Can you suggest anything?" He began hopefully. She furiously shook her head in response.

"How about Kitty, or Mau, or maybe Chappy?" Rukia suggested.

"She's not a pet!" Ichigo argued. "I think we should call her Kimiko, or Isana – I've known some nice girls with those names." Ichigo beamed, trying and failing to make Rukia jealous.

"No, Isana sounds too much like my sister's name – I don't think it would be wise considering…" Rukia countered. She ignored the spark of hope underlying Ichigo's suggestion, he had been acting so strangely lately. Rukia could not tell his mood from one day to the next recently, and she occilated between concern and annoyance at his often illogical suggestions, like when he asked her to the movies then threw her dirty stares when she and Renji showed up for the movie.

"How about Rien?" Ishida suggested, cutting through their squabbling.

"Ren?" Ichigo said shocked.

"No, you fool – Reen." Rukia corrected.

"No. Ri-en – it was my mother's name." He blushed slightly.

The girl flung her arms around him to thank him for the name. It was more than he had hoped for, a smile would have been sufficient, he thought, but this was so much better. He felt her softness creep into his heart, causing it to race, ensnaring him to her, he briefly thought about resisting, but the thought was quickly dismissed as he succumbed to her.

* * *

After hours of talking to the beautiful girl, they knew nothing about her – because she knew nothing about herself. But she was charming and kind-hearted, and was slowly creeping her way into _all_ their hearts. Even Rukia, who had been hell-bent on at least maiming Rien earlier, now felt a little protective of the girl's innocence.

"Rien, since you cant remember anything, what's the first thing you do remember?" Ichigo interrogated, attempting to give some direction to Rien's thoughts.

Her hand immediately went to her lips and her golden skin turned copper as the blood rushed to her face.

"Hai", Ichigo said as the picture entered his mind as well.

"Nothing before that?" Ishida probed further, hoping for some answers to his arsenal of questions.

They could see she was distracted by the memory of it, then she ran to the barred cell window and looked into the empty courtyard of the 6th division barracks. "Byakuya's coming." Rien happily stated as though she did not remember his last moments of anger before she collapsed on his bedroom floor. A feeling of apprehension rose in them all. This was not going to be pleasant- for anyone.

"How does she know he's coming?" Ishida whispered to no-one in particular.

Ten minutes later Byakuya arrived with Renji. It was 6 o'clock at night now – they all wondered what he had been doing all day, though no-one dared ask. His mere presence shifted the atmosphere of the room. This was not going to be pleasant at all.

"Rukia, what are you doing with the ryoka?" Byakuya observed, ice coating every disinterested word.

Rukia stood bolt upright and moved away from Rien, and towards her brother. "We just interrogated the _prisoner_ to try and get to the bottom of this incident." Rukia defended while hanging her head down in shame. She tried to sound impartial, professional, as soulless as he did - but, she could not mask her concern for the _prisoner_.

"And?" Byakuya inquired, without hope, as he soundlessly slammed the cell door closed when the last of them had exited.

"Not much." Ichigo offered, as the others remained silent in his menacing presence.

Rukia looked ashamedly at Rien, all alone in the cell. She hadn't moved any closer, she stayed at the window at the other end of the cell. Rien could feel Byakuya's murderous mood which had exponentially increased since last night. She dared not anger him anymore. She didn't feel afraid, fear is something that is taught, she didn't know she should be afraid, all she knew was the pain reflected in his soul, turned into anger by his countenance, and directed solely on her. She assumed herself to be the reason for the pain, it was the only logical explanation – she had done this to him.

"I'm sorry." It escaped in a whisper as a solitary tear fell to the ground.

"Please forgive me." In another whisper she knew only he would hear. Her voice sounded ethereal, carried on the smallest of winds to only him. She dropped her head and let her long veil of hair cascade to block her now tear-streaked face. Ishida's fists clenched in anger at Byakuya's arrogant behaviour.

"Abarai fukutaichou, take the prisoner…"

"Rien," Ishida interjected. Byakuya ignored it.

"…to the Technological Research Bureau's lab in the morning." He coldly stated – not having been moved by Rien's whispered words. They meant nothing to him, whispered words of an insolent child who would never be able to grasp the gravity of their crime. The sincere sound of the words was just an underlying beat in a melody that would never be able to understand the complexity of its own composition. She knew nothing, understood nothing, and would be forgotten before her name was ever remembered.

"Why there Nii-sama?" Rukia was confused by this odd decision. Was there going to be a trial? The punishment could not be so harsh, Rien hadn't really hurt anyone. Would Kurotsuchi-taichou question her? There were so many things that suddenly seemed so wrong to Rukia. She remembered her own incarceration with pain and worry now filling her big eyes.

"It doesn't matter – I'll go." Rien's voice was clear and lyrical, with no trace of the tears they could see fall under her veil of hair.

"Of course you'll go. You have no choice." Byakuya coldly added. He could not help but respond to her insolence in assuming she had any choice in the matter, that anyone would care, or even ask what she desired.

"Yes, your right." Rien chimed as she turned away from him to look at the sun finally setting on her first memory.

* * *

**Author's Note**

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and that it lived up to my promise at the end of chapter 1. I have so much more of the story worked out, but I would like some input before I just droll on, just in case nobody likes or reads it. Even just an anonymous 'Hi, I read it.' Would be cool as a review right now.


	3. To run, or not to run?

**Supernova**

By Willow Athena

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach…but _Rien_ is definitely mine

**Author's Note:** A supernova: It is both creation and destruction in one. Life and death. Beauty and chaos. In the very moment of destruction, it gives birth to new life, ripples through time and journeys across space…But that's just my take on it.

The next two chapters are dedicated to ThunderClaws and Rihana86 for being my first two reviewers. ThunderClaw03: Thanks for putting this story on your favourites list even in its infancy. Rihanna86: Thanks for being my first reviewer, and for your interest and support, I really appreciate it. I will comment on your suggestions at the end of the chapter.

**Special ****A/N: **I'd like to apologise in advance for a chapter that may not be as interesting as the previous, but must be written to coherently carry the plot for forthcoming chapters. Don't worry, its short.

* * *

**Supernova**

**Chapter 3**** – To run, or not to run?**

After Rukia and Byakuya left, Renji, Ichigo, and Ishida had dinner with Rien. Although she was polite and courteous, something had changed within her. She no longer looked or sounded carefree. This angered the normally calm Ishida.

"Why are they sending Rien to the 12th squad?" Ishida demanded to know. Why would Soul Society hold Rien captive without even questioning her? Something seemed very wrong about this. Justice was not being served, and it infuriated him.

"Byakuya reported to Captain-Commander in the morning, who reported the incident to Central 46, who sent the order down this afternoon." Renji explained the convoluted bureaucratic process to the others.

"But, why!?" Ishida screamed at the _shinigami_.

"They want to study her to see if she's a threat to soul society. But, if you ask me, I think Mayuri and Nemu just want to get their hands on a new research project!" Renji gossiped with a mouth full of food. Renji had seen the calculatedness in Kurotsuchi taichou's eyes as the captains had emerged from the secretive meeting. Only one captain had not attended, Ukitake taichou had been very ill, as usual. Renji had tried his best to eavesdrop on the meeting, but the other fukutaichou's had annoyed him with questions about 'the naked girl in Kuchiki taichou's haori', so he had not been able to get any information except what his taichou begrudgingly imparted – 'a need to know basis, and _you_ don't need to know', was all he got.

"And when will they let her go?" Ichigo was now outraged as he remembered when Rukia had been locked up awaiting her execution.

"I don't know, and I'm not saying I agree with them either!" Renji shouted back at Ishida and Ichigo. Renji was not Soul Society, he was not the enemy, and he was tired of being treated like a cold-hearted, uncaring bastard. He let his mind wonder to the abuse he had suffered today due to Byakuya's mood, the criticisms, the paperwork, and the incessant questioning from the other vice-captains.

"We should break her out!" Ichigo proposed. He had no real plan, but this had never stopped him before. He knew if he really had to, he would find a way. There was no other option.

"Mhm" Ishida agreed. The shocked look on Renji's face was missed by them both. They obviously didn't care for his opinion as they displaced all of their Soul Society rage onto him.

"We could just leave now." Ichigo and Ishida were already hatching an escape plan. It was one thing for Ichigo to suggest this kamikaze plan, but for Ishida to agree with him was ludicrous. Renji could not fathom what had gotten into these two.

"Umm…I can't, I could get into big trouble if she goes missing under my watch!" Renji pleaded. Ichigo's careless disregard for any consequences was expected, but Ishida was usually smarter than that, usually restrained Ichigo's frequent irrationality and careless abandon for the rules – something had shifted in him.

"Why would you risk yourselves for me?" Rien's voice was lyrical and seductive, but no longer light. She didn't want this, any of it.

"You're an innocent person who is being convicted before being tried." Ishida boldly stated, his need for justice only partially fuelling the passion of his words.

"You have no one in Soul Society to fight for you, to stand up for you…let us stand with you." Ichigo's smile was warm and broad with sincerity.

"And, you _are_ our friend, aren't you?" Ishida began to blush, as he noticed the vulnerable quality of his voice as he said the words.

"Thank you Ishida-kun, Ichigo-kun. But…I can't ask you to do that, even if you are my friends." Rien sounded a little lighter. She realised the quality of their characters and began to understand what friendship really meant, but she was unsure if she deserved their loyalty or their concern.

"You don't have to ask." Ishida stated, shying away from Rien's piercing blue eyes…he felt like they could see into him, through him and past him. He could drown in them if he allowed himself a lingering glance.

"I can't go." Rien's heaviness returned as she moved towards the window and peered into the 6th division barracks. One solitary light was on and she knew it was _his_. She could not abandon him to his solitary pain, especially since she was the apparent cause…but it was something more than that, something she could not explain.

"I told you we'd get you out" Ichigo protested, unable to fathom why she would not leave. Ishida always relied on Ichigo's ability to convince people to follow his every cause, but he feared that even Ichigo would not be able to break through to her.

"If Byakuya wants me to go to this Research Bureau, I will." _I owe him that much_, Rien thought.

"But, Rien…" Ishida began his echoing protest, but Rien put up a hand to silence it.

"It's where I want to be. For all any of us know, I could be a danger to soul society." Rien's voice was commanding, and had no trace of doubt in it. She did not want to hurt anyone else, she felt she had done enough damage as it was.

"Then we'll go to the real world." Ishida desperately suggested.

"I wont put anyone in danger. I'll stay until _he_ lets me leave." Byakuya hadn't banished or exiled her, he had kept her close to him, and that's where she would stay until he asked her to leave.

"Renji, how's Byakuya doing? He seemed…_angry_" Rien turned her innocent, compelling blue eyes on him, and he could not conceal the truth from her any longer.

"He's under a lot of pressure…" Renji tentatively began, not knowing if he should really be discussing his taichou's personal struggles with a _prisoner_, for all intensive purposes. But, she obviously meant no harm, and was worried about _him_, if he couldn't be near Rukia, he would also want to know how she was doing.

"The whole of Seireitei knows various versions of what happened last night. He's been in meetings with the Captain-Commander and the other captains, as well as members of the Kuchiki clan, all day long." Renji knew it had been a long excruciating day for Byakuya, but he still felt that it was no excuse for the way he had dismissed Rien that evening; he could not understand how Byakuya could so easily watch her misery.

Rien listlessly walked back. She sat down on the chair next to Renji, unknowingly unleashing the full force of her beauty on them all. The haori parting slightly as she folded her long golden legs.

"Guess it doesn't help that I'm secretly stuck in here, naked except for his haori." Rien sighed and plopped her head down on her hands. The swift movement flicked her hair across the desk, and it fell like silken threads onto Ishida's hand. His hand lay frozen under the veil, unsure of what to do.

"It's you!" Renji said accusingly.

"All day, Byakuya has smelt like strawberries – even though I walk seven pace behind him at all times, I can still smell it. It must be overwhelming for the other taichous." Renji smirked as he picked some threads of silk to smell. "I had never known taichou to scent himself before so, it had been bugging me all day."

"Byakuya has a smell." Rein noted as she got up and went back to her cell.

"Not usually when your walking seven paces behind him though." Renji retorted with a smile missed by everyone as they watched Rien hold onto the bars of the distant window and stare out at the solitary light in Byakuya's office.

Ishida silently slammed his fist down on the desk. "Damn Byakuya!" He began in a whispered hush, so Rien would not hear.

"Ishida?" Ichigo cried, but Rien did not turn to notice any of it.

"Even though he doesn't acknowledge her presence in the world, she still cares for him! She more than cares for him, she…Damn Byakuya – he's all she knows, he's the first thing she remembers, she would follow him anywhere he asked, even to hell." Ishida quietly ranted to them so Rien would not hear his words in her solitary reverie.

"I guess it can't be helped then – Renji will have to take her to Technological Research Bureau tomorrow." Ichigo now also looked pissed off.

There was nothing they could do, they certainly could not force her to leave with them. They would have to think of something else, some other suggestion that would not involve fleeing in the dark of night.

* * *

**Author's Note**

I hope it wasn't too slow for you, but it had to be done. The next chapter is so much better, and it's from Rien's point of view (POV) – I'm sure everyone will enjoy that one.

**Author's Review Comments**

Not sure where to put these, so I guess I'll put them here.

No, Rien is not Hisana or any reincarnation thereof. I have various reasons for this which will unfold as the story progresses. I think it would be a poor mystery if it turned out to be as simple as that, but I can understand how much sense it would make. Thank you for all your suggestions, please feel free to suggest any other improvements which may come to mind.


	4. Things that go bump in the night

**Supernova**

By Willow Athena

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach…but _Rien_ is definitely mine

**Author's Note****:** A supernova: It is both creation and destruction in one. Life and death. Beauty and chaos. In the very moment of destruction, it gives birth to new life, ripples through time and journeys across space…But that's just my take on it.

It's been two weeks since I updated, not sure if that is long or not, but sorry to keep anyone in suspense. I had exams etc., I'm sure you guys know all about how that is. This chapter is still dedicated to my first two wonderful reviewers – Thanks again guys.

* * *

**Rien's Point of View (POV)**

**Chapter 4 ****– Things that go bump in the night**

Everyone had left. I pretended to sleep on the cold, hard cot, but the thin blanket was not enough protection from the cold breeze bellowing through the barred window of the cell. Though the breeze made me shiver, I welcomed the scent it brought me, and tried to control the shaking of my body so that Renji, asleep in the chair outside the cell, would not awaken. I knew Renji had endured a lot of Byakuya's wrath today, but he was kind enough not to blame me or complain about it, even though it was _my_ fault.

I had been savouring Byakuya's scent on the haori all day, but it was not until he coldly slammed the cell door shut, that I realised what a muted, imperfect sponge it had been for the real thing. I should have expected it, since the other haori he wore today was about his fifth layer of clothing.

His smell was complex, just as his taste had been, and I struggled to recover the full intensity of that memory. The first thing I could remember was the burn of his smouldering lips on mine, the warmth of his hands on my naked body…

No! I should not dwell on it. I turned in my bed to face the wall. I was so cold. My mind quickly wondered back to the memory…

I felt his heart let me in, his lips turn responsive beneath mine. I couldn't describe his taste, I had no previous memories to compare it to – but it was sweet and tender and full of promise.

No! It made my heart ache. I clutched at my chest to try and control it, but I could not – I began to cry. I quickly controlled them into sobs so I wouldn't awaken Renji.

I was sure he had kissed me, but his reaction yesterday and tonight cast a shadow of doubt in my already clouded mind. Did I steal the kiss from him, like a thief in the night. If that was the case, I wouldn't have forgiven me either – I would stoically endure all his punishment, until he decided I had paid enough for my unforgivable crime.

* * *

Renji looked burdened and ashamed as he led me through the 12th squad's barracks and then the Research Bureau within it. Is was a sickening desolate place, who's façade itself screamed 'danger – get out!', but there was no escape for me, I had been exiled here by _his_ wrath, and here I would remain until he decided differently.

I was secretly being transferred under the cover of dark, at 5am in the morning. I laughed at the thought – it startled Renji a little. Peering into my eyes, he now looked unsure of what to do. The 12th squad captain and vice-captain were now just five feet away from us. "Don't worry fukutaichou Renji-kun, I will be ok. Just promise me that you and the others will visit if you can." I sparkled at him.

"You know it's really unfair when you do that." Renji accused as I feigned innocence. I knew Renji felt guilty about doing his duty, his inability to help me, but it was not his fault, it was _my_ choice to remain, and he should not suffer because of it.

Renji walked with everyone until I was inside the glass cell in the middle of a vacant room full of weird looking devices scattered about. It was an empty glass cell with a solitary hard looking cot at one end of the small space. This captain looked ghastly, like a monster from a waking dream from which I could not escape, I wondered if the other captains were this hideous, and also possessed this murderous intent. As Renji turned to leave, the other captain called him back with an evil calculated smile on his white, ghostly face. "Would you like to do both your taichou and your _friend_ here a favour?" I could sense something bad was about to happen. I tried to prepare myself. Renji did not immediately turn at this captain's comment – he could sense it too.

Renji turned, his hands clenched into fists.

The 12th squad's captain stalked towards me as though I were helpless, defenceless prey. I stood planted to the spot and feigned disinterest at his movements – if it works for Byakuya, then why not; it calmed Renji to not see how terrified I was.

My body jerked slightly as he easily snapped Ishida's belt in two.

I saw Renji avert his eyes.

Suddenly appearing behind me, the captain pulled the haori, from the nape of its neck, and divested me of it. I saw Renji's clenched fists turn white with rage.

Renji was in danger!

"Am I finally going to get some clothes of my own?" I giggled to the odd-looking captain. The captain looked displeased at my insane reaction, obviously never expecting this level of lunacy. It had worked – I felt Renji's rage ebb from boiling point.

The captain silently nodded to his vice-captain. He then threw Byakuya's haori at Renji. " Tell Kuchiki taichou that he is welcome to visit us any time, and credit him with the find of such an amazing specimen," he maniacally laughed. Renji was nowhere near as good at concealing his emotions as his captain seemed to be.

The vice-captain came back with an outfit which looked exactly like the one she wore. It looked simple enough to put on if I used her as a guide.

"Abarai fukutaichou, please extend my apologies to…um…_your_ taichou for keeping one of his haori for so long." I smiled at Renji who would still not look at me even though I was half dressed by now. He seemed shocked, probably because I had not called him _Renji_, but I did not want him to get into any trouble with this, or any other captain because he was friendly with a ryoka.

"Thank you, Nemu." I sparkled at the girl. Although my 5ft4 frame was slightly taller than hers, and considerably more busty, these clothes were at least mine now. "No one has ever given me a present before," I added. She looked startled and unsure, as though no one had ever thanked her before. I tried to pull the robes as low down as they would go, but my long legs made the outfit look short, and they opened slightly at the bust due to our difference in curvature.

"You know my name." Though it was a statement, she sounded unsure. Although I had heard Ishida and the others talked about them, I should probably not have been so familiar with her.

" I take my leave of you, Kurotsuchi taichou." Renji said with distain as he tightly clutched Byakuya's haori in his right hand.

I almost reached out to him – not to go, not to leave me alone with these people. But I knew he had to leave, and I knew I had to stay – no matter what was in store for me.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Now that the story is set up, it will progress so much more smoothly. The next chapter is quite long, and is from Rien's POV as well, but it has loads of story in it, so please bear with me, and I hope you like it.


	5. Sticks and Stones, but no broken bones

**Supernova**

By Willow Athena

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach…but _Rien_ is definitely mine

**Author's Note:** A supernova: It is both creation and destruction in one. Life and death. Beauty and chaos. In the very moment of destruction, it gives birth to new life, ripples through time and journeys across space…But that's just my take on it.

This chapter is dedicated to Twilight's Blade for being the cool person I hoped they would be.

I just want to alert people that the middle part of the chapter is not from Rien's POV, but I think I make it clear in the story; and the long sentences in italics are thoughts, but I think that is also pretty clear in the story. _I think that's it for now_ – LOL!

* * *

**Chapter 5**** – Sticks and Stones, but no broken bones**

**Rien's Point of View (POV)**

It had started with words and insults at first, but after two days of me saying, 'I don't know', 'I can't remember' and, 'I'm not trying to kill anyone', it quickly escalated to mental warfare where he would threaten to have Ishida, Renji, or Ichigo killed – not that I believed a word he said. It was a week of isolation and interrogation before the beatings started. Mayuri, as I would come to call him to his face, would get Nemu to attack me with her fists.

Byakuya had ring-side seats to my first beating.

* * *

I was in the middle of what looked like a sparing ring used for training of some sort. It was empty except for Nemu and I. The ring was surrounded by many seats for spectators, but no one was present. Mayuri stood with the newly arrived Byakuya at the top of the stairs of one isle.

"Captain-Commander would like to know if you have made any progress with the ryoka girl." Byakuya disinterestedly asked, still sounding like a symphony.

Even with his back turned to me, as he spoke to Mayuri, he took my breath away. His jet black hair fell like silk on his strong shoulders, and rested on his immaculate white…as I was contemplating that thought, Mayuri's irritating voice broke through it. When contrasted with the musical quality of Byakuya's voice, Mayuri sounded like a bad song played backwards to scare young children.

"Not yet, but don't worry Kuchiki taichou, we are starting a fool-proof method of interrogation today." It made me a little worried to see Mayuri's eyes gleam in that way. Mayuri gestured toward the ring, and Byakuya turned to look at it, not really looking at me at all. My heart sunk when he would not look at me, but I should not have let myself hope for anything different.

"Commence Nemu." Mayuri barked at the petite girl.

I could not take my eyes away from Byakuya, I wanted to will him to look at me, but then…

Nemu kicked me and I flew back hitting the plastered wall of the sparing ring. I felt the breath I'd been holding in forcibly escape my lungs. As I landed, with bits of plaster from the wall scattering around me, I coughed and beads of red hot liquid stained my hands. As I looked at my bloodstained hands, it hit me – PAIN!

I had never experienced this sensation before, and it forced me to cry out loudly. As I heard the cry echo in the empty room and the sensation intensify, I looked towards Byakuya for comfort, but he was no longer standing there. I was all alone. _Was this my punishment?_

* * *

The interrogations and beatings intensified over the next three weeks, to the point where, they were more beatings with a sprinkle of interrogation rather than anything else.

They started with fists and progressed to bludgeoning type weapons, to zanpakutos for the last two days.

I had learnt to endure the pain and not cry out so childishly when hit in the stomach, or stabbed in the leg. I had been in isolation for so long; my body ached in places I didn't know could ache. Byakuya hadn't come again. I was alone with Mayuri and Nemu.

I secretly wished for the pain, it was the only reminder that the numbness I now felt hid a life beneath it. If I was beaten badly enough, Isane or Unohana taichou would come to heal me.

Unohana was incredibly skilled and kind-hearted, but she spoke little. I enjoyed watching her serenity as she healed my cut tendon, torn muscles and bruises. Isane was very talkative, which I loved. She would even speak aloud to herself when she thought I was unconscious. But best of all, she would talk to me, and tell me news about Renji and the others' struggles to come and see me. I had felt less alone since the first day she came to heal me. She kept me sane, that's why I welcomed the pain – after it I knew I would see her and feel cared for once more.

"I'm surprised, they never break any bones." Isane mused as she healed my twisted ankle. She had been on hand everyday this week.

"Nemu is very careful not to break them, or Mayuri has threatened to break her." I offered as the now familiar taste of blood pooled in my mouth. I spat it into the basin where Isane had been removing and throwing yesterday's bandages away.

"I see," Isane said with distaste.

She picked up my bruised hand and held it to her forehead. It started to instantly feel better and soon the ache all over my body began to dissipate. "What are you doing?" I asked fascinated.

"I'm using my Ki to heal your wounds. You've been bleeding internally – that's why you feel so bad," she explained.

"What's Ki?" _And how could it feel this good?_

"Ki is like energy generated within the body and its used throughout the body for various things like healing, and sometimes fighting. You don't seem to have any reiatsu or ki, so I'm giving you some of my ki." I looked quizzically at her as she explained this completely foreign concept to me. I couldn't understand why everyone expected me to have this reiatsu, or whatever, and why it was so important. "I need to touch your body to transfer the ki from my body to yours so your body can heal itself."

"But don't you need it?" I probed, concerned that she may be endangering herself.

"I do, but I'm only giving you a little. I'll get tired in a while, but its nothing a good night's rest won't cure." She smiled her warm, assuring smile at me.

I wished this ki could heal the heartache I felt. My body felt better, but my heart still ached. It ached for _him_. I wished he would come see me, come save me from this hell he had banished me to. But, why should he even care, I was nothing but a spec of dust that had been caught in his eye – an insignificant irritation, easily dealt with and forgotten about before even forming a memory of it.

_I was nothing to him_.

The thought seared in my chest like no wound I had received, and Isane was agush with worry. "My heart aches!" I sobbed uncontrollably on her shoulder. "Take it out! There's something wrong with it!" I cried openly now.

"There's nothing wrong with your heart." She tried to assure me. "Your body's been so broken for so long, that you haven't had time to think about anything else in a while. It will hurt less…in time." She held me and comforted me.

"You call out his name everytime your unconscious, you know." _Oh no!_ _Mayuri must know now too._ I had tried to keep my feelings for Byakuya a secret from him – it wasn't something he needed to know, even _I_ couldn't fully explain the intensity of what I felt for him.

Although my body felt better, as Isane left, I was in more pain tonight than I had ever been. Pain that he could heal in one look – if he ever took the time to look at a snowflake before it melted into nothingness on his skin.

Nemu had been banished from interrogating me as Mayuri thought she was taking it too easily on me, so for the last two days he had been trying various ways to kill me, in order to force me to use my "secret power" which he _knew_ I had.

Isane now stayed close at hand for all his experiments, and I watched as she would silently sob in the corner while Mayuri would try to bake or poison me, and then call her to save me from the brink of death, because I hadn't used my 'power' to stop him.

Today, he was going to drown me. He had surmised by now, how much I hated the cold, so he filled the small glass tank with ice-cold water that was just this side of becoming ice.

* * *

**(****NOT Rien's POV)**

Ishida, Ichigo and Rukia could no longer stand to remain in the Kuchiki manor – all their attempts at pleading with Byakuya to do something to help Rien had failed, had fallen on deaf ears. Byakuya's constant echoing silence on the matter said more than any refusal he could have given. Now, the sight of him even annoyed his loving and protective sister.

Ichigo and Ishida spent most of their time training with Renji, and plotting how to save Rien, or even just get in to see her. Ishida in particular, looked sick with worry, and had barely eaten in the past three weeks that Rien had been held captive. They were all concentrating on getting stronger so that they could get Rien out at all costs. Although they had spent little time with Rien, they all had to admit that she was special in some way – that was probably the reason she was still being held captive. Even though she had no reiatsu or power to speak of, she was undoubtedly special.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Rukia, why do you always look so distracted?" Ukitake taichou inquired of his subordinate.

"I'm sorry, Ukitake taichou, I will concentrate harder." Rukia promised him.

"That's not why I was asking." He warmly smiled as he sheathed his zanpakuto and went inside, with Rukia following close behind – he had obviously decided that training was over for today.

Ukitake put a pot of tea on in his office. Although there would be many other people to do these things, when he was not ill, Ukitake took it upon himself to do all he could. He gestured for Rukia to sit down and poured her and then himself cups of peach tea. "Do you like it?" Ukitake asked after Rukia had taken a sip. "I made the blend myself. I think I'll try to make strawberry tea next, what do you think?" He joyfully smiled at her.

"Mmh," She nodded and took another thoughtful sip.

"See! That's what I'm talking about. You're never really here, never carefree or happy anymore. I know everyone is stressed about trying to stop Aizen from getting into heaven, but I have a feeling it has nothing to do with that. Recently, you always look as though there's a storm cloud hanging over your head." Ukitake rambled to Rukia in his deep, wise voice. Rukia began to internally panic. Ukitake could see that she was not going to give in so easily.

Then he did something he knew others found hard to resist. He didn't often do it, he knew the effect it had on others, and he secretly felt like it was almost cheating a little.

He radiated warmth, caring and concern, and gently put his hand on Rukia's head to calm her with his touch. "It will be ok, just tell me what it is," he said in his most smooth, deep tone.

Staring into his warm, chocolate eyes, she could conceal it no longer.

"It's Rien…" Rukia confessed all her traitorous fears to her taichou.

"Now I'm really sorry I was too sick to attend that meeting." Ukitake sympathised with Rukia after hearing her story.

"If we could just see her, see that she was ok." Rukia words flowed freely now as she paced her taichou's office and told him all she knew.

Ukitake thought about it for a while, a gentle crease forming on his brow. His face filled with concern over someone he did not know. Although Rukia had not commented on her brother's role in the story, Ukitake knew Byakuya well, having trained both Byakuya and Kaien (Byakuya's deceased best friend) when they were younger. He also began to pace the room with Rukia, to show solidarity for her complex situation, knowing full well how Byakuya would have handled Rukia's concerns.

"Perhaps if _I_ went to see her…" Ukitake began, but was startled by Rukia's head slamming into his chest, and her arms encircling his waist.

"Taichou!" She cried into his haori. Her small frame shook against his tall lankness. He hated seeing anyone cry, especially his subordinates, who he considered to be family.

"Rien must be a very special person – to command such fervent loyalty from so many," Ukitake noted. _Perhaps she is dangerous_, he thought, but dismissed the illogicality of it. If having people care about your safety was considered a sign of danger, then he should be the last one pointing fingers.

"I'll clear your schedule for today." Rukia offered as she let go of her captain, now feeling a little embarrassed that she had acted in such an un-noble way – _what would Nii-sama say! _

"Oh!...You want me to go _now_?" Ukitake was not prepared for Rukia's urgency.

He leisurely strolled to his destination in order to give himself time to think things through. Ukitake knew Rien had been imprisoned due to Aizen's recent victory, somehow misdirecting them and stealing the real _King's Key_ from under locked guard, but Aizen still had to find the location of the lock, and then somehow open a portal to use the key. There was still time for them to come up with a plan. He understood that Soul Society was trying to be extra strict with security issues, especially in Seireitei, but he could not guess their reason to suspect that this lone girl could be a security threat – although she had appeared, without warning or memory, in one of the most restricted parts of Seireitei.

Ukitake formulated a plan on his way to the Research Bureau, only to find Byakuya in the Bureau's waiting room.

"Nemu will be back shortly," Byakuya apathetically said, not looking up.

"No need to wait, I know the way." Ukitake assured him.

Normally, Byakuya did not break protocol, but he had been waiting for Nemu for a while now, and he had other, more important, things to take care of. Byakuya gracefully stood up and followed his former sensei.

* * *

**Rien's POV**

"Mayuri-sama, there's someone…"

"Not now Nemu!" He dismissively said to her. I hated the way he spoke to her, like she was an inanimate object.

"Nemu, take Rien up to the opening." Mayuri ordered, with a sadistic joy filling his voice and face. His features contorted to mirror the monster in my own personal hell, and I knew my fairytale-turned-tragedy would be particularly harrowing for me today.

As we got to the top of the tank, I just defiantly stood there. I mean, I wasn't willingly going to jump into the tank of almost frozen water. The water was so cold it gave off a halo of frost that made me shiver in Nemu's short outfit, and I hadn't even gone in yet. Mayuri stood on the other side of the glass at the bottom of the tank and mouthed something incomprehensible, then pressed the tank's intercom button on, and though muted a little by the water, we both clearly heard his command now, and Nemu bruised the soft skin of my hand as she shoved me into the tank of freezing water, dotted with newly formed little icicles.

My 5ft4 frame shook in the cold water as every part of my body became hypersensitive and my skin felt as though thousands of acupuncture needles stabbed me synchronously. I wanted to scream, but I betrayed nothing in my expression as I saw Byakuya and a man with long white hair emerge behind Mayuri. At first I thought I may have been hallucinating, but Mayuri also looked startled.

"Kuchiki taichou, Ukitake taichou…what a surprise!" He sternly and accusingly looked at Nemu.

_Ha! At least he forgot the intercom was on._I would at least be able to savour some of this conversation. I had almost forgotten what Byakuya's voice sounded like, though I knew he used it infrequently, I hoped today would be an exception. As I stood at the bottom of the tank, I fought the pain, as the freezing water stung my eyes, I refused to waste one moment of being in his presence – I would memorise his every feature.

"I'm here on behalf of the Captain-Commander, to assess the progress of the investigation." Byakuya coldly stated, unable to make his voice sound like anything but music to me. I was surprised by the clarity of his voice as it rippled through the water and touched my skin.

"There hasn't been much progress – she's stubborn, pig-headedly so! No matter how many times I threaten to, or actually try to kill her, she never uses her powers – I'm beginning to wonder if she even has any."

_Mayuri was finally getting the right idea._

I waved at them warmly, not that Byakuya would dishonour his eyes by gazing upon me. No one waved back, but I could see an unmistakable warmth in the white haired man…Ukitake's face.

"May I propose a solution to that?" Ukitake's deep voice was intriguing and compelling. _But, why was he trying to hep Mayuri? The captains are all on the same side, I suppose – against me!_

"Perhaps after weeks of interrogation, we should allow her to see those people she feels closest to. Maybe after so much pain, she will confide in a softer touch, and tell them about her powers," Ukitake's tone was even and commanding. It would have been a good plan, and would have probably worked, if I had any powers to tell them about.

"We would be able to record the whole thing, wouldn't we Kurotsuchi taichou?" Ukitake casually added. I welcomed the plan if I would get to see my friends once more.

I was so close to Byakuya, just glass and water separating us. I placed my bruised left hand on the glass in front of him as I stood at the bottom of the small tank, that was still larger than my glass cell. He ignored the gesture, but I knew he could see my hand against the glass.

"It seems your lover is still taken with you Kuchiki taichou," Mayuri teased him. Even _I_ could feel the danger rising in the room.

"Hmph," he coldly sniffed. My heart sank, but I should not have allowed myself to expect anything different. I was nothing to him.

"Maybe if _you_ ask her nicely, she'll tell us about her powers," Mayuri teased and baited him some more.

"May I see your progress report and data on the 'subject'?" Byakuya redirected and ignored the tempting bait Mayuri dangled. But, at this intimate distance, I saw his jaw tighten as he exerted control over himself.

Mayuri, Byakuya, and Nemu turned and went a short distance to computer where they looked at whatever Mayuri had collected on me.

For a while now, my body had been rebelling against me for air, but I had been concentrating hard to control it as Byakuya watched. As he turned away from me, most of my remaining air leapt out of me. I knew I would lose consciousness soon.

As I was about to remove my hand in defeat, the other captain, Ukitake, put his hand against mine. I felt a red-hot jolt as his touch stung me through the glass. I looked at him confused, but he smiled and also turned to survey the report. I searched my hand for the damage, but there was none.

That's when I realised it! My body was no longer fighting me for air. I could breathe easily, as though the water were air itself. I shook my head. _This was bad!_

If Mayuri thought even for a moment, that he had made progress, he would never let me leave. Even if all he found was that I was an aquatic water breathing creature, he would dissect me for his archives, which he loved so much.

I began to flail around and released some of the now limitless air in my lungs. Ukitake and Mayuri came to the tank. Byakuya disappeared in a flash, as usual. Ukitake's head was slightly cocked as he watched me, confused.

"Maybe today will be the day we see some of her powers," Mayuri said with little hope.

Ukitake understood. He could not hold his smile of recognition in. I could see his warm, beautiful smile in my peripheral vision as I pretended to flail and then fall unconscious. Ukitake had to quickly cover his smile with his slender, beautiful fingers, and pretend to be in a state of deep contemplation. Though the look on the surface seemed serious, his eyes danced.

My eyes, as thin as slits, as I floated 'unconsciously' in the tank, waiting for Nemu to fish me out. I dearly wanted to touch that warm smile, to hold it in my hands, to thank him for a wasted, but immensely appreciated effort.

"I don't understand!" Mayuri threw up his arms in frustration. "I've tried to bake her, poison her – and that's just this week, I don't know why she won't use any of her powers to stop me." Mayuri, irritation flaring now, mused idly to Ukitake.

I saw Ukitake's look turn to cold steel as he turned and silently left.

* * *

**Author's Note****:**

I hope you liked the chapter, its my favourite so far.

I also just wanted to thank Soralake for all the encouragement and support, I really appreciate it, and I hope this is enough of a fix to get you to the next chapter.


	6. A light at the end of my tunnel

**Supernova**

By Willow Athena

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach…but _Rien_ is definitely mine

**Author's Note: **I would just like to thank my wonderful reviewers whose encouragement has inspired me to update really soon. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter, and its really nice to know I'm not just rambling to myself by posting this story. Your reviews made me so happy, so again, "Thank you!"

**Summary: **

_Setting_ – Soul Society has been under strict military watch following Aizen's victory, where he distracted everyone and stole the real 'Kings Key' while everyone was engaged in meaningless battles to stop him from making one. Aizen has retreated and is attempting to figure out how to use the key. Ichigo is about to turn 21, so everyone has known eachother for about 6 years, I guess.

_Story_ – For the last three weeks, Rien has been imprisoned and 'interrogated' by Kurotsuchi taichou to investigate if she was a threat to Soul Society, and how she got into one of the most restricted parts of Seireitei. Byakuya is the first thing Rien can remember, and she cares for him, but he ignores her presence. None of her new friends have been allowed to see her, but Ukitake taichou has tried to help in that regard.

* * *

**Chapter 6 – A light at the end of my tunnel**

**Rien's POV**

Ishida, Ichigo, Renji, and Rukia came to visit me on the afternoon of Ukitake taichou's visit. My heart leapt at the sight of them. They had so many questions I did not want to answer – about how I've been, and what Mayuri had been doing with me. I had not had to lie yet, and I did not trust myself to do it convincingly enough to fool them, but the truth would cause them sadness. I didn't not want them to be sad, not today.

"I feel so much better now that you're all here." I attempted to beam at them, having forgotten what the expression felt like on my face.

"Ukitake tried…" Ichigo began, but I interrupted him.

"I've really missed you _Ichi_," I said, throwing my arms around him and stopping him from exposing Ukitake.

"We're being recorded." I whispered in his ear, wondering how this fact could of escaped his notice. "I think she likes you," I added, noting Rukia's dismayed expression behind him.

"I think he _really_ likes you." Ichigo smugly added looking in Ishida's direction.

"Of course he likes me, we're friends," I said as I pulled away from him, and sat back down with Ichigo's help. Ichigo made a muted disbelieving 'Hmph' at the word 'friends'. It was not until that moment that I noticed the vapid grey colour of my skin against Ichigo's tan. The previous gold lustre of my skin had been scyfened away by the weeks of torture, now all my skin looked like was death. I cringed at the sight I must of reflected to Byakuya and Ukitake this morning.

Now with all my bruises healed and wounds repaired by Isane, there was no trace, not even a scar left, to prove any of what I had endured these past three weeks. Mayuri had planned it this way – I knew him well enough to know this for certain.

"There's just no privacy here," I added in to placate their curiosity. "Nemu watches me at all times – when I amble here, when I eat, when I sleep, and even when I shower…It's like she's a machine, she never sleeps." It was nice to be able to talk to real people again.

"She _is_ a machine," Ishida flatly offered. I laughed, so did they. I could not remember the sound of my laughter before this moment – but now that they were with me, I could go on, endure anything.

* * *

They came every afternoon that week. We would only have an hour together every afternoon, but it was enough to renew my resolve to stay alive the next day.

On the sixth day, they came a little too early. Isane had been busy and had not come to heal my daily injuries yet. My left shoulder had been dislocated that afternoon, so I used my working right hand to cover myself with my thin blanket. Mayuri made sure that my face never became injured, so that at least was a blessing. I used my long hair to cover any bruising on my neck. Everyone said 'Hi' and sat down to tell me that Ichigo and Ishida would have to leave for the real world tomorrow. I tried to hide my sadness at this news. It was so selfish of me to want them to stay so I could see them for this brief hour everyday, they had real lives that did not include me. I tried to control my expression as Ichigo explained that they would still try to figure out some way to help my predicament.

Ishida didn't sit down, didn't relax, he stood at the door of the glass cell and stared intently at me. After a while, he walked towards me and knelt down in front of me. His hand trembled as he gently removed the layers of clothing over my dislocated shoulder.

"Ishida! What are you doing?" Ichigo demanded of him, as the others looked shocked at his actions.

He ignored them.

As he revealed my blue shoulder, they all gasped. Ishida did not ask any stupid questions like 'how it had happened', or 'when'. He became calm, and looked me straight in my now panic filled eyes. His eyes were the beautiful blue of a deep pond on a sunny day – the perfect balance of warmth and coolness.

"I'm a doctor." He calmly said to me as he gently placed his beautiful soft hand on my aching shoulder.

"You shoulder is dislocated. I need to set it now before its too late, or it will heal wrong." He paused. "Prepare yourself. This is going to hurt." He held me securely against his chest with his left arm, his right hand still on my shoulder. " I'm going to count to three and then do it." He whispered in my ear now, his breath sending shivers down my spine from its warmth and closeness. "One…" He pushed it back into place at 'one' – it surprised me, but I was able to suppress the yell, not the anguished look on face though.

He gently covered my shoulder once more. "Renji, can I have your white head tie." Ishida commanded rather than asked. Renji handed it over. Ishida carefully put my arm into a sling, saying nothing more. I could no longer see his eyes through the mirroring glare from his glasses, but I could feel anger surge within him.

Everyone was quiet that day, sad except for the anger, I wished they would be happier. This would be our last day together after all.

"Renji, may I have your hair band as well?" I asked after a long period of silence. He didn't even ask what I wanted it for – he just took it off and silently gave it to me. _Man, I must look really pathetic._

As Renji handed me the hair band, and his long red locks fell to frame his face – I saw for the first time, how truly beautiful he was, and how much he tried to hide his beauty. It was as if he felt strength and beauty were opposites, unable to peacefully co-exist in him.

"Renji, your beautiful." I gazed into his eyes. At once, I felt his soul echo my intuition. "The most beautiful flower is often also the most deadly," I added. "Is Byakuya not proof of at least that, fukutaichou Abarai?" I somehow knew that this would resonate with him.

I saw a flicker of something in Rukia's expression, but she was quick to hide it before I deciphered it completely. Could she really have feelings for them both? Renji's feelings for her were obvious, to me at least, but until now, I had thought she cared for Ichigo alone. I could see now that her feelings were more complicated than that, but I could not understand their complexity with the throbbing pain in my shoulder.

Then Isane came, and Nemu kicked them out. Ishida lingered at the door with determination and fury reflected in his beautiful eyes. "See you soon, Rien." He said threateningly as his glasses gleamed over and Nemu pushed him through the door.

* * *

**Author's Note**

I don't really have much to say this time, in terms of an author's note, since I updated yesterday, but I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. The next chapter is Byakuya heavy, so for all Bya fans, I hope I don't disappont you.


	7. I will NOT think of her!

**Supernova**

By Willow Athena

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach…but _Rien_ is definitely mine

**Author's Note: **This Chapter is dedicated to Soralake for the honour of being on their Favourite Author's list, and because we have the same taste in most things, and I think they will enjoy this one in particular.

**Summary: **

_Setting_ – Soul Society has been under strict military watch following Aizen's victory, where he distracted everyone and stole the real 'King's Key' while everyone was engaged in meaningless battles to stop him from making one. Aizen has retreated and is attempting to figure out how to use the key. Ichigo is about to turn 21, so everyone has known eachother for about 6 years, I guess.

_Story_ – For the last three weeks, Rien has been imprisoned and 'interrogated' by Kurotsuchi taichou to investigate if she was a threat to Soul Society, and how she got into one of the most restricted parts of Seireitei. Byakuya is the first thing Rien can remember, and she cares for him, but he ignores her presence. None of her new friends have been allowed to see her, but Ukitake taichou has tried to help in that regard.

* * *

**Chapter 7 ****– I will NOT think of her!**

"We have to do it tonight. They're torturing her! I won't leave her here and go home." Byakuya heard Ishida say in his fukutaichou's office. Since Renji never used his office before, Byakuya had never before had the opportunity to notice how clearly he could hear every whispered word through the air vent.

"Mayuri is a taichou, and his fukutaichou is a machine! It will be hell to get out of there with them around." Renji countered. Byakuya was surprised by Renji's use of logic, he had previously discounted him having any sense at all.

"But it's not impossible. Just leave it to me!" Byakuya could not mistake the arrogant tone of Ichigo's voice. _What an imbecile_, Baykuya thought.

"Where will you go after you break her out, Ichigo? Mayuri, Nemu, and all the other squads as well, will be compelled to pursue you." Renji threw a cog in Ichigo's turning wheel.

"Renji's right. We need a better plan." His sister's pained and desperate voice surprised him.

"I've been studying Soul Society laws, and I think I have an idea about that." Ishida calmly said.

Baykuya wondered if he should turn them in now…or perhaps help them. He hated going against any of Soul Society's laws. But…he further contemplated, it wouldn't really be _him_ breaking any rules – if all he did was provide them with an opportunity. It would be up to them to make the most of it.

Anyway, it would be far better for him if she just disappeared and Soul Society forgot all about 'Kuchiki taichou's lover' – he cringed at the repeatedly whispered words which made him look so weak, so human.

She looked like a painted masterpiece, which would have been fine if he could collect her, hang her on his wall, and admire her beauty from afar – but, she wanted more. Her eyes demanded something he could not give.

She was simultaneously dangerous and fragile, he could feel it – he could feel her! She had caused a ripple in his still and usually impenetrable countenance.

He _had_ kissed her back, whatever he had tried to make himself believe by now. He remembered how his body instinctively, yearningly reacted to her cool lips before he could regain control of himself.

For weeks now, he had wondered how he could have let this happen. He felt conflicted about standing by and letting her be punished for his lack of self-discipline. He had not expected to care, to be affected at all by anything that happened to her, but he could not forget the sound of the air rushing out of her lungs, or the deep vulnerable cry of pain which followed. He had, had to leave immediately, and subsequently had to avoid Kurotsuchi taichou due to his flaring, almost uncontrollable, instinct to harm him now.

This would not do! She had to go! She would have to leave him to his solitude – it was familiar, calm, isolating.

Hisana was never like this, he noted to himself, as the pain of her death stung him again. Hisana was strong, quiet, noble and caring. Plagued with guilt over abandoning Rukia, she could not fully return his love, but he had let her into his heavy heart – _he_ had loved her, and in her death, she abandoned him. Byakuya still thought of himself as a married man, and swore he would never let anyone get that close again. The people he loved always seemed to leave him: his mother; his father; Kaien; Hisana; even Rukia would leave one day.

Byakuya had no hope that this would change. Hope was nothing more than a waking dream. Baykuya felt that love was just a prelude to heartache, and he would never be fooled down that treacherous path again.

Byakuya never let anyone get close to him, not even family, not even Rukia. He had no friends to speak of and simply evoked fear in all his subordinates and staff. He was noble. He was powerful. He was untouchable.

Women would smile at his beauty and freeze at his power. No one could get close enough to him to test his self-control.

She had to go, he decided. She was dangerous, he had feelings _about_ her, not that they were good, but they were feelings none the less – she had to leave. She had affected him.

* * *

Byakuya walked into Renji's office without warning, startling the four huddled in conversation. Rukia in particular had a guilty look on her face which she attempted, but failed, to hide from his discerning gaze.

"Abarai fukutaichou." Byakuya said dispassionately. "I expect you to stay in your office and be on duty tonight, in case anything unexpected happens." Renji had that familiar stupid-confused look on his face, Byakuya thought. _Perhaps the Quincy will have to catch the drift for these thugs._

"I will be inviting Kurotsuchi taichou and his daughter to the Kuchiki manor for dinner tonight. I want to be thoroughly updated on his progress." Byakuya saw a smile of hope spring to the Quincy's face.

"I expect you will be able to handle things over here, Renji," Byakuya said feigning indifference. "My dinner will be from 7 to 9 tonight; I do not wish to be interrupted. Did I make myself clear?"

"Hai, taichou." Renji stood and bowed, his hair flowing loosely over his shoulders. Byakuya took great pride in beauty, and it wasn't until this day that he saw in Renji, the potential to truly become _his_ vice-captain.

After barely three whispered sentences about their surprising good luck, the other three left Renji alone in his office, for now.

_How foolish_, Byakuya thought – that they could not see through his thinly disguised words. But, it was perhaps better that they did not suspect his willing help with their plan to save Rien.

He had come to think of her so often that he had actually begun to use her name. _Goodbye, Rien_. He shook the silliness of the thought away as it entered his consciousness. If they succeeded, he judged that he would easily be able to erase all memory of her and return to his previous dissociated state.

He walked to the Research Bureau to extend a formal invitation from the 'The noble house of Kuchiki to Kurotsuchi taichou and Daughter'. Byakuya was adept at discerning people's weaknesses and desires, and this was Mayuri's – finally receiving the acknowledgement he felt he deserved from nobility. Byakuya knew it was the one thing that could drag that vile monster from its lair. He would not be Rien's white knight who offered love, but he was willing to be the dark prince who offered survival.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Hope I didn't disappoint the Byakuya fans in particular – I tried to maintain his real personality within the confines of the story, I hope I succeeded. Please review and let me know what you guys think.


	8. White Knight

**Supernova**

By Willow Athena

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach…but _Rien_ is definitely mine

**Author's Note: **This is an action packed chapter. I'm not updating fast because I haven't put much thought into these chapters, I'm updating fast because I had written all the chapters and have let them sit with me for about a month or so, until I feel there is nothing more I want to say in them. I have really enjoyed writing this story, and when I went back to these earlier chapters that I had written, I really enjoyed reading them, even though _I_ had written them – _Is it really wrong to enjoy your own story?_

* * *

**Chapter 8 – White Knight**

They had all congregated in Rukia's office in the 13th squad's barracks, all except Renji who was being held captive by Byakuya's orders, for now. They were all suddenly alive with hope that they may actually be able to achieve what they had spent a month training to do.

"How are we going to get out of Soul Society with Rien? We can't run all the way out, we'll be caught. I don't even know if we can make it out of Seireitei," Ishida frustratedly posed. He wanted to save Rien, but it had to be a good plan, she had to be safe, he would not endanger her needlessly with an unworthy attempt. "We can't use the senkai gate at the Kuchiki manor if Byakuya's there having dinner." Ishida continued to think out loud.

"Rukia, is there another senkai gate we can use?" Ichigo tried to solve one problem at a time. _Ishida is too emotionally involved to be sensible right now_, Ichigo thought.

"Inside Seireitei, only the main senkai gate, and the five senkai gates for each noble house exist. The main senkai gate is impenetrable." Rukia looked anxious and worried that there was no way left. She racked her brain for a possible solution, even considering braving Nii-sama's displeasure and barricading the doors to the Kuchiki senkai long enough for Rien to escape. She would have gladly braved his wrath, well…she would have cowered and endured it as well as she could – but, that level of betrayal would have hurt him, though she knew he would not have shown it…she couldn't hurt him, even if he was acting like an ass right now.

"Isn't Yoruichi-san noble? Can't we use her senkai?" Ishida hoped rather than believed this to be a real possibility.

"The Shihouin manor is far away, heavily guarded, and we don't know where their senkai is…its too foolish to go searching for it while on the run." Rukia thoroughly quashed that idea.

"Rukia-chan, you can use my senkai if you really need to." Ukitake taichou was leaning against Rukia's desk and sipping a cup of tea before any of them realised he had even come in at all.

Everyone panicked.

"Thank you, but we can't taichou," Rukia offered in defeat. Following Ukitake's extraordinary help in the war against Aizen, the lesser noble house of Ukitake was elevated to one of the five noble houses that comprised the government of Soul Society. There had always been five houses to rule, and after the dishonour and exile of the Shiba clan, many lesser noble houses were considered, but it was the Ukitake clan which had looked the most deserving to the four noble ruling houses. Ukitake hated being thought of as noble, unlike Byakuya who effectively used his nobility as a ward to distance himself from everyone, Ukitake found that it further complicated the simplicity of the life he tried to lead, it was just another title he wised people would overlook, or at least see past. Her taichou had already done so much for them, they could not ask this of him as well.

"We would not want to put you in any danger," she added, assured by his expression that he was not going to arrest them or turn them all in, as she felt Byakuya would if he ever found out.

"Why would I be in any danger? I'm having a birthday party for Shunsui tonight, so I won't be using it and no one will be guarding it, if that's what your worried about. I can show you right where it is if you guys want to go home tonight ." He innocently looked at Ishida and Ichigo's smiling faces. "That's what you wanted it for, right?" They all let out a sigh of relief – perhaps he had not heard their whole plan.

He turned to leave but stopped at the door, looking out into the beauty of the setting sun. "No one should have to live their lives afraid that everyday might be their last. That impending sense of doom…it robs you of your life, because at any second, everything you care about could be snatched away from you forever. She deserves a chance." Ukitake let out a strangled cough.

"Taichou!" Rukia voice was full of concern as she stood up letting her chair topple over.

He held up his pale white hand stained with flecks of vibrant red blood.

"I'll be fine. I just need to rest," he tried to assure her as he always did. Stoically walking upright even though it was only through great effort on his part, strangling any more coughs until he was out of earshot.

Now they all understood why he had offered to help them, why he would risk everything he had.

Although Ukitake did not aspire to nobility, that's just who he was. The Ukitake clan was surely the most noble of all houses, Ishida thought, gratefully to himself. No one would doubt this man's honour, no one would accuse him of helping Rien escape…she was nothing to him on the surface, and no one would be able to contemplate this level of nobility in anyone.

* * *

"There will still be guards from the 12th squad – we will have to sneak in." Ishida suggested, already having formulated their entire battle strategy, having carefully calculated the their statistical chance of success at every turn. Now all he had to do was get everyone else on board with his plan.

"If we get close enough, I could probably shunpo in and get her." Ichigo confidently stated, having recently mastered his shunpo abilities since the month they had been there.

"But you leak reiatsu like a sieve holding water," Ishida objected. "They'll feel you coming down the road." He had already thought through these possible avenues of attack. Though Ichigo was undoubtedly powerful, what they required was stealth rather than power, or Mayuri would be called back, and catch them before they even left the building.

"What do _you_ suggest then!" Ichigo was annoyed at Ishida's last comment. _Stupid Quincy._

"I'm faster than you and _I_ can control my reiatsu. I'll use my hirenkyaku[Quincy shunpo] to get in and then unlock the cell – which will probably set off an alarm no matter what I try. When we get out, I'll need everyone to hold the guards at bay, and protect Rien as we try to escape before our time runs out." It was a sound plan, but Ichigo hated Ishida making himself out to be the main hero of the story.

* * *

Ishida's preparations allowed him to get into the Research Bureau with no trouble and without being detected. Although his white Quincy battle gear would normally stand out against the black monotony of the shinigami, his stealthing ability was unparalleled by anyone.

"Rien, we have to leave now!" Ishida had anticipated reluctance from her, and was prepared to carry her out kicking and screaming, if that's what it took.

"Okay." She happily smiled back at him. "Byakuya wants me to leave now anyway." She had heard him scream these words beneath the lies he told this afternoon – though the lies still hurt her, she had glimpsed at his intention behind them.

_Damn Byakuya_, Ishida thought, what did he have to do with any of this!

Byakuya had come to invite Mayuri for dinner that afternoon, and had _really_ looked at her for the first time since their kiss – though all he meant his expression to say was 'leave', Rien had glimpsed at something deeper within him. Byakuya had regretted that momentary lapse of judgement, the flicker of compassion he had shown her. He knew it would be difficult to forget the innocence of her eyes gazing back at him. It had caused him to inadvertently lash out at her and say things he regretted as soon as they escaped his mouth. Things like 'what a disappointing find she had been' and 'how he would not have let her live had he known how uninteresting she was' – Mayuri fervently agreed with Byakuya as he spoke, and although Mayuri had said these things to her many times before, Byakuya's lyrical voice was sharper than Mayuri's, far more deadly to Rien. She had silently stood, unable to peel her eyes away from him, letting her tears cascade like a waterfall down her numb, expressionless face. Currently at dinner, Byakuya tried to rationalise his words to her…it was better that she left with no regret, he did not care for her anyway, and she should not hold onto any lingering affection she felt for him, her feelings were meaningless after all. It was strange, _regret_, he had not had this feeling for so long, and he struggled to be rid of it now. Why should he regret anything – he promised himself that he would not spare another moment of regret on her.

"Here, get dressed – I made it for you," Ishida said, just a little annoyed with Rien. He pushed a long white dress with a blue Quincy cross on the right side, through the cell's food flap. Of course _he_ would have noticed Nemu's too short dress on her 1,65m frame.

Rien changed in the glass while Ishida attempted to unlock the cell door, and not watch the beautiful girl shamelessly undress in front of him.

Rien changed and watched Ishida struggle with the code for the lock. She bent down on the other side of the door, distracting Ishida with her beauty, she looked striking in the long Quincy dress, better than he could have imagined. " I think the code is 629874 7262," Rien obligingly offered.

"Why would you say that?" Ishida was surprised.

"Because Nemu always mouths 'Mayuri sama' when she opens the cell door –I don't think she notices herself doing it." Rien giggled. She seemed so much lighter than this afternoon and, although Ishida appreciated the sound, he wished he alone was the reason for the melody.

"Hai." Ishida nodded and entered the code. It worked! No guards too. They had been really _lucky_ today.

Near the exit door of the Bureau, just as they were about to get out, a random patrol spotted them and sounded an alarm within the 12th squad barracks. Ishida held on tightly to Rien and hirenkyaku'ed to Renji, Rukia, and Ichigo who also happened to be surrounded. Rien looked a little sick from the speed of the flash step, she seemed a little unsteady on her feet as well.

Ishida worried, it was already 8:45 – Byakuya's dinner could have ended by now, and Mayuri and Nemu could be back at any moment. They had no time to spare. Ishida placed Rien in the centre of them all. "Rien, please stay in the middle and follow us." He calmly held up his right hand to form an elaborate blue spirit bow, pulling his left arm back, he formed a large arrow. When he released it, it was a spread of about a thousand smaller blue arrows all landing at the feet of the surrounding shinigami – effectively pushing them back and allowing the group more mobility to edge toward the exit. Rien wanted to touch the pretty, intense blue of the bow, but decided against it – it was probably not a good time to distract anyone.

"Getsuga tenshou!" Ichigo shouted, clearing a path for escape towards the exit. Ishida's constant release of volleys kept the pursuers at the back at bay, Renji and Rukia's masked and hooded figures defensively threatened the attackers on the sides.

As the group got to the exit of the 12th squad's barracks, it was Ishida who spoke, "It's 8:55, we have to run or we won't make it out of Soul Society. You guys take Rien and run – I'll try and follow when I can. Don't wait for me!" He said in his most commanding tone.

Rien held onto Ishida's waist tightly, her head on his shoulder. "I won't go without you. We all run!" She breathe near his neck, sending shivers down his spine.

_Damn her_, why couldn't she let him have this heroic, manly gesture to win her over. Why did she have to feel so soft and vulnerable against his body. He reluctantly removed her hands from around him. "Okay," he said, resigned.

"Go!" He shouted to them all, releasing one last volley of arrows, and grabing Rien's hand, he hirenkyaku'ed out of the gate with her.

Everyone had incredible speed as they ran, especially Ishida.

As Rien followed the group of much faster people, who did not have Ashisogi Jizo stab and paralyse their legs that afternoon, Rien noticed that no one followed her, even though they could have probably caught her - no pursuers followed out of the 12th squads barracks.

Then she felt him. She stopped, panting a little.

"Jyuushiro, a name as beautiful as its owner – you should use it more often." She chimed to the nothingness and the shadows. Rien almost felt the warmth of the shadow's blush. "I promise I'll find a way to repay you." Her words were intense. She had nothing with which to repay him now, but she promised herself in that moment, that she would find a way to repay his kindness.

Ichigo appeared. "Sorry, Rien, I hadn't noticed you were gone until now." He smiled at her oblivious to Ukitake's presence.

"No, I'm sorry to slow you down. It's just a little difficult to run today." She attempted to bubble, still a bit out of breath.

He scooped her up.

"Hold onto me and close your eyes – we'll be there before you know it." Ichigo's voice was warm, affectionate and deep as Rien lay her head against his chest – Rien could see why Rukia cared for him. After only a few silent stops, they emerged in a big empty hall with two open sliding doors at one end, and a bright white light in the middle.

"Lets go!" Ishida commanded as he shot an arrow through the open senkai gate. The arrow would ensure that his body rematerialised into its human form on the other side – Ishida hated this part, it was a painful process, and because of this he had tasked Ichigo with keeping Rien safe through the senkai. Though Ishida would never admit it, he trusted Ichigo, more than he cared to dwell on.

Ichigo nodded.

"I'll stay here and close the gate." Renji said as planned. And then, he would return to his office as though nothing had happened. You either had to be noble or at least a vice-captain to have skill enough to be able to open and close a senkai, and this was his job. Renji's vampiric smile as he waved goodbye, was beautiful and painful to Rein – she was beginning to understand Rukia's dilemma.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Well, I hope you continue to enjoy the story as I have. And, please continue to review…it's really nice to know I'm not just talking to myself.

~ Willow ~


	9. The Real World

**Supernova**

By Willow Athena

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach…but _Rien_ is definitely mine

* * *

**Chapter ****9 – The Real World**

Ichigo fell to his knee, exhausted from his run through the senkai while carrying Rien. Though she felt as light as air, something about the trip had drained him. He yearned to be back in his body, where everything felt normal.

"I was worried when my senkai activated so late at night. I thought Aizen was finally going to try to kill me for all my secrets." Urahara's sleepy, shirtless form joked as they all fell out the gate and into his secret underground basement. "A Quincy girl?!" Urahara mused as he noticed Rien still tightly clutched against Ichigo's chest.

Yoruichi emerged in nothing but Urahara's green robe, spluttering and swearing about the commotion that had woken her. Ichigo was thankful she bothered to put clothes on at all – he had frequently been subjected to her naked form everytime she shifted from being a cat.

Ichigo stood up and carefully placed Rien between himself and Ishida, unsure if he should continue to hold on to Rien or not, she looked surprisingly more stable now, compared to when they had fetched her. He could see the desperate side-long looks Ishida was casting him, and so he let go of Rien, trusting Ishida would catch her if she needed further help – which he knew Ishida obviously hoped for. But, she stood firmly, towering above Rukia behind her. But, Ichigo liked short and petite, or perhaps it was just Rukia that he liked. His heart had raced as he carried Rien, but not for the reasons it raced when Rukia touched him.

"She's not a Quincy, Kisuke, " Yoruichi immediately corrected. "You must be getting blind in your old age." She insulted in irritation. Yoruichi was never in a good mood when she woke, and Urahara had never made that same mistake again. He felt it unfortunate for Ichigo, that he had woken Yoruichi, but Urahara was certainly not going to bear the brunt of her sleepy wrath.

"Maybe I was just blinded by her immense beauty." Urahara poked back at her – injuring her pride a little.

"Hmph!" She acridly spat back, her expression letting him know that he would regret that later, when no one would hear him scream. Yoruichi's revenge was always a dish served cold, to unsuspecting targets that had long forgotten the injuries they had given her – she often felt the satisfaction of searing the memory onto their flesh, so they would never again forget who she was. Urahara had no visible scars, but his mind was awash with things he wished he could forget.

"Who's your new friend?" Urahara returned to the matter at hand, still cringing slightly at the thought of what Yoruichi might do to him later.

"Urahara-san, we need you to lock your senkai immediately!" Ishida said with urgency.

"But why?" Urahara was confused at this request. _Could something dangerous be following them? What had Ichigo done this time!_

"Please. Now!" They all shouted, except for Rien who remained quiet. He did as they asked, afraid some real danger lurked behind them.

Yoruichi watched the girl, in her peripheral vision, as Urahara used a long, complicated, powerful incantation to lock his senkai. Yoruichi loved to watch Kisuke's muscles become taut as he worked, it happened so rarely, that he actually did any work, that she thought she had better save this picture for later.

"How fast can you make her an untraceable gigai?" Rukia almost demanded. Urahara ignored her tone – he still felt guilty, he still felt as if he owed her for the hell he had put her through in the past. He motioned for them all to go upstairs, as Yoruichi continued to watch the mysterious girl.

He silently went to his desk and opened his drawer. Then he shunpo'ed and lunged at Rien, knocking her back into Rukia.

"Just as I thought." Urahara cryptically offered as he took off the glove he had once lent Rukia to help Ichigo get out of his body and turn into a shinigami.

"What the hell was that, old man!" Ichigo screamed.

"An experiment," Urahara blankly offered as though it were obvious from the start. "I can't be completely sure, but I don't think she needs a gigai." They all continued to stare at him waiting for a further explanation.

"If she was a departed soul, the glove would have sent her back to Soul Society…"

"How could you have taken that chance, we just saved her from there!" Ishida's anger flared. His obvious overreaction surprised Urahara. Departed souls belonged in Soul Society, so she should undoubtedly return there if that's what she was…but then again, shinigami like himself also belonged in Soul Society – so he decided, there were some possible exceptions to this rule.

"Well, I never thought she was a departed soul. If she was human, then her soul would have leapt out of her body with a soul chain link attached…but she's obviously not human either, not a conventional one at least. If she was shinigami it would have just gone through her soul as if she were air, and if she was Quincy I would have been thrown outside since Quincy resist the daemon magic of the glove." Yoruichi silently smiled, Kisuke was so much smarter than he looked, and she could see him revelling in this unsolved mystery.

_Wow_, Ishida thought. _This was more progress than Mayuri had made in a month._ After all, Urahara was the original head, and the founder of the Research Bureau. "What is she then?" Ishida was weary of not sounding voyeuristic to Rien. Though he had denied it at first, Ishida was now resigned to the fact that he cared about her, she was more than just a 'thing' to him – though it really didn't matter to him in the grand scheme of his feelings for her, he could not quench his curiosity.

"I'm not really sure right now, but I'm sure I'll figure it out. But, at least we know she's alive." Urahara smiled but no one looked amused. They would not allow Rien to be a lab rat, just in a different location. He turned towards Rien, "Why didn't you tell them you don't need a gigai?" Urahara asked the confused looking girl.

"I didn't know I'd need a gigai, until they said 'I need a gigai', but since I didn't really need a gigai – how would I know? What's a gigai?" Rien's chimes rang throughout the room, silencing and confusing everyone.

"She can't remember anything about herself before she appeared in Soul Society a month ago." Ishida attempted to clarify.

Urahara became very serious as he peered deeply into the girls eyes, determined to solve her mystery. "I'm Rien." She trilled as she hugged him, and then went over to hug Yoruichi. "Rien." She smiled again and hugged the violet haired woman. Urahara and Yoruichi gave eachother a knowing look only two people who had know eachother for hundreds of years could understand. They felt Rien's lyrical voice ensnare them both and their affection for her grow exponentially. They both wondered about the reality of this almost sickeningly sweet part of her character, if innocence really came in her 21 year old form.

"Yeah, she does that sometimes." Ishida tried to explain it away, secretly wishing it was him she was embracing.

"I have to go back," Rukia announced, after barely being there for 10 minutes. "Ill try to be back in the morning. But, I have to get back now before Nii-sama realises I'm gone." Without another word, she walked out of Urahara's store, opened the Kuchiki senkai, and vanished.

Yoruichi saw Rien's face drop, and assumed it was because the girl's friend, Rukia, had gone. For some unknown reason, Yoruichi could not stand to see the sad look on Rien's face. "Don't worry, I'll help you fend off these boys." She attempted to lighten Rien's mood. But, Yoruichi could not have guessed that it was envy that made Rien's countenance take a turn for the gloomy.

Rien envied Rukia's proximity to Byakuya. She hadn't had insight into it before – but, in the moment she realised that Rukia would return to _his_ side – Rien would have given anything to be her, to stand by his side…to breathe the same sweet air as the man at the centre of her universe.

_No more!_ Rien told herself. She would dwell on him no more. He did not want her, he just wanted her to disappear…she could feel him repeat the phrase everytime he was near her. Why had she allowed herself the delusion of thinking that he cared for her…how could a man love someone who didn't know what love meant. _No more_, Rien reiterated.

Yoruichi came back into the room. "I'm Shihouin Yoruichi, and that bumbling buffoon over there is Urahara Kisuke." She smiled her warm mischievous smile at Rien. "Come, I think you deserve a nice hot bath," Yoruichi added, offering her hand to Rien. She showed Rien to an already prepared steaming hot bath, as the others sat around the table and briefed Urahara on their last month in Soul Society.

Yoruichi returned to Urahara's side having already heard everything with her cat-like ears. "What did they do to her? I sensed something was wrong with her body, but this…" Yoruichi looked furious. Though the other knew Rien had probably been tortured during her time with Mayuri, Rien had never revealed the specifics to them. "Her body is perfect, not a mark or a scar on it, no hair anywhere except her head, like a new born baby – unbruised, smooth, soft skin. But…her muscles underneath – it's like they've been cut, bruised, and torn apart over and over again. Her healers were very skilled, in time her muscles will heal as though they had never been touched – but, right now, I'm surprised she's able to walk at all." Yoruichi's anger had spread to Urahara, whose fists clenched tightly in fury. They both looked at eachother – they knew two things for certain : she was alive; and they would now do anything to protect her.

It was like a drop that caused a ripple through all their hearts. They felt it rather than heard anything – her silent sobs. Then the echoing rain began outside and they all felt a sense of despair about what had happened to this unprotected, lonely girl, who had no one in all the world. Yoruichi promised in that moment that Rien would never be alone again.

The rain stopped as suddenly as it had begun, and Ishida and Ichigo wondered if they should not begin heading home before it began again.

"Thanks for all your help Urahara, Yoruichi, but I think Rien and I better head to my house now." Ichigo off-handedly stated as though it was a given matter-of-fact that Rien would be staying at his house as Rukia had.

"Kurosaki…" Ishida always used Ichigo's last name when he was mad at him, and about to insult him. "I'm sorry to burst your naive bubble, but Rien will be coming home with me tonight." Ishida confidently said pushing the bridge of his glasses up.

"I'll be better able to protect her if they come for her!" Ichigo argued.

"That's a highly doubtful assumption your making. Anyway, may house is large and empty – Rien will be able to have some privacy and comfort there. Kurosaki, what would your crazy father say about you sneaking a beautiful girl into your room in the middle of the night?!" Ishida smugly added.

"He'd probably be really happy for me and give me a pat on the back." Ichigo baited Ishida with a realistic possibility, considering the craziness of his father.

She laughed from the doorway. It was like an explosion of joy that resonated within all their souls – it was pure, deep, care-free, and untouched by her time with Mayuri.

Urahara smiled. Her laugh reminded him of when they were younger, and how he and Yoruichi would laugh together for hours – before the weights of adulthood were squarely placed on her noble shoulders.

Rien wore one of Yoruichi's black, skin tight training outfits. The sleeveless halter-neck top exposed Rien's unbruised, beautiful shoulders and collar bone. "Sorry I didn't have anything else." Yoruichi uncharacteristically apologised. "I don't really like to wear clothes," she added with a mischievous smile aimed at Kisuke.

"Me either. They're so restricting," Rien acknowledged. "But, I get so cold, so..."

"I just find some _body_ to keep me warm…" Yoruichi's voice trailed off as she suggested her solution. Although Rien knew nothing about these things, Urahara's shirtless appearance now made sense to her.

Urahara, now looking a little uncomfortable tried to change the subject. "Rien will stay with Ishida for tonight – it will be harder for shinigami to sense his reiatsu. Though I don't think they will mobilise tonight anyway – they'd need too many preparations so send anyone worthwhile." Ishida looked smugly at Ichigo, having won this battle. "Be here as soon as you can in the morning." Urahara became very serious, "If anything happens to Rien, I'm going to hold you personally responsible, Ishida!" Yoruichi and Ichigo nodded at Urahara's comment.

Ishida did not look phased by this – he would already do anything to protect her. "We should go, Rien." He attempted to hide the joy in his voice. Deciding she should probably not walk the long distance to his house, he walked over to her. "Hold on tight, and close your eyes," he softly said already having to control his racing heart as his arms encircled her.

"Bye," she chimed to everyone as she held on tightly to Ishida's defined, muscular form – and in a flash of hirenkyaku, they were gone.

* * *

Ishida awoke.

Although the hot summer sun shone through his open balcony doors, he felt cool. As he opened his eyes, and regained his senses, he had to control himself from jumping out of his skin. Rien was under the duvet, in _his_ bed, and asleep on his left shoulder.

He hadn't thought about it last night, but she was probably scared to sleep in the guest room all on her own. He should have probably offered to sleep on the floor next to her bed. He internally beat himself up for not having considered the possibility.

Ishida tried to control his racing heart. His left hand was on her bare back, holding her against him – _Damn, Yoruichi and her clothes_, he thought, but was too scared to remove his hand in case he woke her. He would gladly stay her willing prisoner like this forever, he thought to himself, a content smile forming on his face.

Her waist length straight black hair shone like silk as it lay strewn across Ishida's bare chest. He tried to arch his head to get a good look at the sleeping girl's beautiful face, but it was also covered by her long hair. Her skin felt soft, supple, and vulnerable against his shoulder, where her head fit perfectly beneath his jaw.

He gently moved the hair out of her face, and gazed upon its beauty, its perfection. She let out a soft moan. She moved her arm across his chest and her left leg across his body – further securing herself to him. His heart threatened to explode as he continued to watch her content face.

She smiled, "Byakuya," she whispered.

And with a single word, she shattered his beating heart.

She startled herself awake, as though she had fallen from a cliff in a dream. She scrambled backwards out of bed, looking extremely confused. "Ishida-kun?" She searched for a clarity that was not coming.

Ishida pulled the shattered pieces of his heart back together and looked at her, as though unphased by her dreamt whisper. "It's okay. I think you just sleep-walked into my room last night. Don't worry, its normal, it happens sometimes." He could not summon up the emotion to sound like himself right now. His words just sounded empty to him.

"I'm sorry if I was a nuisance, Ishida." Rien softly said feeling her heart begin to race as the shirtless Ishida walked towards her, and she remembered Yoruichi's words about Urahara.

"I didn't even notice. Don't worry about it," he flatly replied. Rien saw the truth reflected in his attractive blue eyes. She threw her arms around him, as his lay flatly at his sides, not embracing her.

"I'm sorry, please forgive me." As she had said to Byakuya when she didn't know how she had hurt him. Ishida gently peeled Rien's arms from around his neck.

"There's nothing to forgive." She could not look into his beautiful blue eyes. She knew she had injured him, she just didn't know how. Rien felt Ishida's soul cry out in agony while his face was plastered in a smile – she could not bare to look into his bleeding soul, knowing, as she had with Byakuya, that she was the daemon who had twisted the knife in there to begin with.

_Why do people so rarely say what they mean?_ She wondered to herself.

* * *

Ishida lived in more of a mansion than a house, and his household staff fluttered about for his every convenience. As Rien and Ishida emerged from his room, she felt the household staff give her a few side-long glances and begin to chat among themselves. She did not understand their looks, but Ishida did not seem to care about their conversations.

Ishida took Rien to the guest room across his bedroom, where he had left her last night, and suggested that she should have a shower, and that he'd be back before she finished. Ishida had noticed Rien's propensity for taking long baths last night, and was sure that he could shower and be back from the shops before she was done.

Ishida had driven to the shops and bought Rien clothes, as he walked up the stairs to her room, he admitted to himself, that the reason he had not taken her along was not because it would have been dangerous and confusing for her, but because he wanted her to wear the things he wanted to see draped over her body.

Ishida placed the various bags of outfits on Rien's barely used bed, and stood, one hand on the door to leave. "I've left some clothes for you to choose from on the bed," Ishida said as he heard the shower stop.

"Don't go!" Rien bellowed as she tried to run out of the bathroom in her towel. Rien slipped at the doorway of the en-suite bathroom, but Ishida was there to catch her glistening, wet body.

As the heat from her shower and their close proximity wafted her strawberry scent to him, he felt some of the shattered pieces of his heart melt back together. Rien felt the comforting feeling of Ishida's strong arms around her, and she longed for him to be happy again.

As she sat on the bed and rummaged through the bags, she noticed that all the clothes were either white or blue and began to contemplate Ishida's obsession with the colour – but all that subsided when she happened upon a bag full of small lacy things. "What are these?" Ishida turned a bright red; Rien enjoyed the colour on him – it made him look alive again.

"Um…you wear them _under_ your clothes." Ishida went even more red.

"But they're so pretty, why would I wear them _under_ my clothes?" Ishida began to panic. "Are _you_ wearing them?" She playfully said, as she tugged on his white pants.

Ishida flew to the door. "I think I need to call Rukia – no wait, she won't be of any help…Inoue maybe…No, Yoruichi…just wait here Rien." He was almost hyperventilating by now, but Rien could not understand why.

After a few minutes Yoruichi was in the room with Rien and helped her get dressed. When they emerged, Rien looked beautiful – human.

"You cut her hair?!" Ishida said a little disappointed.

"She said she liked Ukitake's hair, so I just cut her some bangs like his," Yoruichi defended against Ishida's accusing tone. It wasn't like she had significantly reduced the length or anything.

"Don't you like it, Ishida-kun?" Rien sounded worried. "Don't you think I look beautiful?" Yoruichi smiled, obviously having put Rien up to this.

"Of course you look beautiful, how could you not." Ishida admitted in defeat, hoping Yoruichi hadn't taught Rien anything else while they were alone together.

"Come soon, Rukia should be back anytime now," Yoruichi advised.

"We'll be there right after breakfast." Ishida assure her.

"You made me breakfast, Ishida-kun!" Yoruichi teased him.

"Um…You're welcome to stay, but I didn't make it," Ishida offered with his heart leaping into panic again. Not so secretly hoping Yoruichi would leave.

"No, I have to get back anyway, but you-two enjoy." Yoruichi smiled her mischievous smile at him and shunpo'ed away.

"Please have a seat." Ishida suggested, his voice seductively deepening. Rien's heart began to race, but she didn't know why.

Rien fervently tried everything on the table as though she had never tasted any of it before – which from her point of view, Ishida thought, was pretty accurate.

"Uryuu." A deep voice said from behind Rien. She turned to see an attractive man in a blue-grey suit. Who surprising looked a lot like Ishida, except for his blue-white hair. The man looked…_sad_.

"Ryuuken…you're home." Ishida floundered.

"Is that any way to talk to your father? Of course I'm home, where else would I be at this hour?" Contrary to the impression he was currently trying to give, Ryuuken was never home – ever!

"We were just finishing up." Ishida did not want them to meet. He wished they had left with Yoruichi., but he knew it was too late now.

"And who's your _friend_?" Ryuuken was decisive in his movements as he now stood between her chair and Ishida's. She was more striking awake, than she had looked asleep. He assessed every feature.

She stood up. "Rien," she said embracing him. Ishida would have to teach her to stop hugging everyone. He inwardly sighed. Ryuuken was surprised by it, and it was not often that anything surprised him. He reflexively embraced her back.

"Yes, you do remind me of her." The softness that had crept into his father's voice was a sound that Ishida had never heard coming from Ryuuken.

"Perhaps you should get your coat, in case it gets cold," Ishida suggested to Rien who let go of Ryuuken, who lingered in the embrace a moment longer than she had. Rien nodded and ambled upstairs hoping she would not forget her way in the big house. The connection between her name and Ishida's deceased mother's only now dawning on her again. She wondered in what way she was like his mother, the whole house was devoid of any pictures, so she could not be sure, and she didn't want to bring up the painful subject for either of the men downstairs. She found Ryuuken strange, although she did not have a family, something about Ishida's interaction with his father seemed _off_, seemed cold. _Although Ishida has a family, is he also alone?_

"You're lucky she wasn't a shinigami, or we wouldn't even be having this conversation – I would have killed you both in your sleep last night. Is it a coincidence, that she has your mother's name?" Ryuuken whispered as his eyes followed Rien up the stairs.

"Yes." Ishida lied. His father had no business meddling in his affairs.

"Long black hair and striking blue eyes – it seems you've inherited my taste in women." Though Ishida was adept at lying, Ryuuken could spot his lies like ink on paper. He decided not to push the issue at the moment, considering his son finally had a lover worthy of his name.

"I'm nothing like you." Ishida was defensive.

"That's not something to boast about," Ryuuken dismissively said. "I'm _glad_ she makes you happy. Just don't lose her by being yourself, or someone else may take her away." Ryuuken didn't mean it as a threat, but rather a warning to his _too nice_ son who always waited until it was too late to take the things he wanted.

"Who exactly is going to take her away from me?" Ishida had interpreted his father's words as a threat, a challenge to his claim on Rien.

"I don't know, you tell me. Though she's your lover, you don't touch her like she yours. How serious are you about her, or is she just this week's toy?" Ryuuken knew his son well enough to know he had feelings for the girl, but he could not stop himself from taunting Ishida, his reactions were always so amusing to Ryuuken.

"I'd appreciate it if you'd stay out of my bedroom, especially when I'm in it." Ishida whispered as he saw Rien descend the stairs holding a long white jacket. His relationship with Rien was none of his father's business. Rien could never be a toy to him, he cared about her, more than he should, considering they were just friends.

She gracefully walked towards him and held onto him tightly, as though _he_ were hers – even if _she_ wasn't his. Ishida didn't look surprised. "No, I think we should probably drive there." They should not be using hirenkyaku in the real world, especially during the day when bystanders might see, and he secretly wanted her to experience his new black sports car – he knew the experience would thrill her. Rien had no sense of boundaries or social appropriateness, and Ishida hoped this display of her natural inclination to be affectionate, was enough to keep Ryuuken off his back for a while. He took her hand in his and turned to leave without another word to his father.

"Goodbye, Ryuuken." She sang as she turned to leave.

"Goodbye, Rien." Even after all these years, it hurt to say her name. She had died almost 20 years ago when Ishida was still a baby, but Ryuuken could not stop loving her. He detached himself from everything, especially Ishida who reminded him of her in every way – it was the only way he could go on without her. Above all things, he did not want his son to lose a love that could destroy him – as _his_ love for Rien had been.

* * *

When they arrived at Urahara's, Rukia was already there, and they were all huddled around the table in conversation.

"Rien!" Rukia said shocked, looking at the girl's short white pleated skirt, white sneakers, and pale blue strappy top. "Your hair looks wonderful," she finally said. Rukia hadn't noticed how long the girl's legs were before, and how shapely – she envied her, not knowing Rien would gladly change places with her. Rukia had started off being taller than Renji, but as they got older he shot up like a barge pole – now, he and Ichigo were both far taller than her, and it frequently pissed her off.

"Ishida drove me here in his car!" Rien excitedly told Rukia about her new experience.

_Damn that rich show-off bastard!_ Ichigo thought.

"Well, what's happened in Soul Society?" Ishida said impatiently.

"As I was telling Urahara before you got here, Central 46 has made the decision not to pursue Rien to the real world – one of Kurotsuchi taichou's reports strongly suggested that she was a living person, and as such, is out of the jurisdiction of Seireitei and Central 46." Ishida breathe a sigh of relief as he sat down next to Rien. Although he had guessed that this would be the outcome if Central 46 actually followed Seireitei's laws, he was surprised that they did not try and fabricate a reason to pursue her.

"But…"Rukia continued. "She can never return to Seireitei as long as she is alive, if she does, she will be captured and executed along with all those people who aided her."

Rien let out a whimper, but held back the tears that threatened to escape. Now that Rukia had told Yoruichi about Rien's attachment to Byakuya, Yoruichi understood the real meaning of the whimper.

"Surprisingly, there are no clues about who helped Rien escape – except Ichigo and Ishida. But, there have been lots of questions – about what senkai you escaped through, and a very powerful captain level kido net that kept all the 12th squad members trapped in their barracks and unable to pursue." Rien smiled, Rukia herself had no idea that it was Jyuushiro – _perhaps its better that way_, Rien thought. "But, don't worry Rien, there are somehow no clues for anyone to trace." Rukia assured her.

"But, did they not suspect you and Renji?" Urahara wondered.

"They did, that's why it took me so long to come back. But, Nii-sama has vouched that he gave Renji an order, and that he has no doubt that Renji followed it and remained at the 6th squad's barracks all night." Yoruichi saw Rien's fists tighten on her lap, at the thought of Byakuya protecting Renji, protecting her.

"Ukitake taichou told them I accompanied him to Koryaku taichou's birthday party because I was concerned about his health." Rukia laughed. "I don't know how, but people remember seeing me there." She chuckled a little more.

"Jyuushiro is skilled in many different things." Yoruichi spoke warmly about her previous classmate, and then began to chuckle as well.

"So, you're free to live in the real world, Rien." Rukia beamed at the still stoic girl. "But Ichigo, Ishida – you both are no longer welcome back either, for breaking Rien out. They will arrest you both if you return," Rukia added, a hint of sadness entering her voice.

"Not like I was looking forward to going back to that dungeon anyway." Ichigo laughed it off.

"I don't know how to thank you all, but thank you, from the bottom of my heart." Rien spoke her emotion-filled words while looking down, her newly cut bangs partially covering her right eye and resting on the top of her cheek.

"What are you going to do now Rien, you're free?" Ichigo asked full of hope.

Rien suddenly felt panic fill her body – she knew nothing, she had nowhere to go, and no idea of what to do. It was a more complex question than Ichigo could have imagined – Rien knew nothing about the real world. She felt herself become lost in the vastness of the possibilities.

"You're welcome to stay with me. I mean…we can all go to university…together, if you'd like…its just that, that's what most people our age…do." Ishida tried to hide the fact that he had just asked Rien to live with him, under the guise of the propriety of university. Ishida had already prepared for this outcome, knowing what Central 46 was likely to decide, after spending three weeks studying Soul Society law when they couldn't see Rien, he had known all they had to do was find a way to rescue her. Ishida placed the university application papers, which he had fetched this morning, on the table. Ishida knew she was intelligent enough to be able to handle the learning curve, and he dearly hoped she would chose this option, with him…and Ichigo.

Ishida had also known that rescuing Rien meant that she would never be able to see Byakuya again – this thought allowed the shattered pieces of his heart to heal completely, knowing that in the end, he had won.

"It wouldn't be proper for a beautiful young girl to live with a single man. How would it look to the rest of the world?!" Yoruichi was going somewhere with this, but Rien interrupted her flow.

"What's wrong with that? You live with Urahara-san," Rien inquired wide-eyed. As the others smiled, Yoruichi ignored the comment.

"She could live at Ichigo's house," Rukia suggested. "I could say she was my sister."

Ichigo smiled at the idea, "Kuchiki Rien and Kuchiki Rukia – sounds good to me!" He thoughtlessly beamed.

"No." Rien flatly refused. "I would love to be your sister, but I can't bear the same name as you…couldn't we say I was your cousin or something." The thought of constantly being called by his name sickened her – she would not steal it from him, she would leave everything about him behind her.

"I think it's best if Rien stays here, where Kisuke and I can watch over her if any trouble arises. What do you think Rien?" Yoruichi hopefully suggested.

"I wouldn't want to be an inconvenience, Yoruichi," Rien humbly said.

"I've always wanted a little sister." She looked a little misty-eyed as she said it. "I could be your beautiful, more experienced, older sister. I have a lot to teach you about the world. What do you say?" Yoruichi smiled her warmest smile at Rien. Soi Fon was a grown woman now, and she had missed the best of her years, Yoruichi was determined to be the best big sister Rien could hope for.

"Hai." Rien smiled, enchanted by Yoruichi, as everyone was when Yoruichi chose to be this way.

"Very well, from now on, you will be Shihouin Rien." She said kissing the girl's forehead and then hugging her.

Ishida looked sick, thinking of the things Yoruichi would teach Rien. He was in for a hard time and he knew it.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed it. Please hold on - awesomeness to come in the chapters that follow. If you want to think of them as arcs as Bleach does, then this is the beginning of my 'Real World Arc'. Please review and let me know what you think so far.


	10. Adjustment Disorder

**Supernova**

By Willow Athena

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach, or any of its characters, but Rien is definitely mine, as is this story.

**Author's Note:** Thank you to all my reviewers for the encouragement. I write for both our pleasure, so I hope you enjoy it as I have.

I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Julie, Soralake, Sanjin, and XTeddybear…who all ache with the absence of him.

**Summary:** The story, from this point, is largely situated 10 months after their escape from Soul Society, although, this chapter in particular, outlines her first four months after their escape.

* * *

**Chapter 10 – Adjustment Disorder**

For months, all was peaceful.

Renji was already the official shinigami assigned to Karakura Town. And, on the special recommendation of Ukitake taichou, Rukia had been assigned as the shinigami in charge of watching, Shihouin Rien. Although Soul Society had decided not to pursue Rien, they had determined that the possible threat she may pose was enough to warrant constant surveillance, and this had become Rukia's job. This all worked out perfectly for Rien, as she got to see her friends everyday. It had been ten months since their escape to the real world, and Rien was…_content_.

Rien could barely remember her first four months in the real world, they had ached so searingly with the absence of him. She would revel in all Rukia's news about Soul Society, hoping that she would let something slip about Byakuya, but she never did – Rukia had probably done this on purpose, due to a kindred need to protect her, but Rien didn't need reminders of him to hurt her, she ached silently in his absence. To have a heart simultaneously alone and broken was unfathomable – excruciating. Now, she knew what pain kept him from her, isolated both their hearts, and shattered hers…_his_, she knew, was already broken, long before she had dared to love him.

She had quickly learnt the need for deception, its ability to protect those she loved, and in time she had become adept at this art, to the point where people assumed her to be content, happy even, but, she was neither. There was no other way for her now family to be happy, she had to conceal her agony to preserve their joy. She was not unhappy, she thought, and there had been many moments when she had actually been undoubtedly elated, but when she was alone, the emptiness would always creep back, engulfing her in its shadow. Her memories of him were like torture, which she had frequently administered to herself for the first four months, until she had realised the masochistic nature of the ritual.

She had stopped looking at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes screaming the truth of her lies out to her, all she saw as she looked in the mirror was the emptiness he left behind, and her heart rebelling against her conscious decisions. She had since banished all thought of him from her mind, vowing to forget even his name – it was a necessary task, she had told herself, so she could enjoy the love she now received from others – they surely deserved at least this from her, she finally thought.

* * *

Rien was surprisingly intelligent, more so than Ishida had hoped for. During her first few months at university, Rien had either shadowed Ishida or Ichigo, mostly Ishida since he had faked all the documents to get her into medical school with him. Forgery, it seemed, was another one of his talents, as well as 'breaking and entering' the Dean's office. Medicine had been her choice, to try and help people as she had been so mercifully helped, and she was surprised to find she had a gift for it.

Although she spent most of her time with Ishida, no one at university was under the impression that they were dating, now that Rien understood what the term meant, she wondered why others did not infer that from her close proximity to him. Rien was frequently asked on dates, while sitting next to Ishida who would say nothing in response, as the sometimes attractive men would leer over her. She intuitively understood the guilty pleasure he would receive from her flatly turning them down, and then continuing a conversation with him – he felt no need to chauvinistically deter any of her admirers, especially knowing their certain fate. Rien had frequently heard some of the men who asked her out say things like 'Ishida must definitely be gay, if he's not tapping that' and 'Think he's going out with that Ichigo guy he hangs out with'. At first Rien had no idea what they meant, until she asked Yoruichi who rolled around on the floor, laughing, tears filling her eyes, for at least 30 minutes before she finally explained it to Rien.

She decided to defend Ishida's honour the next time she heard the sentiments. Although she couldn't be absolutely sure, she got the feeling he liked girls, and assessed that his crafts club was only an opportunity to scope out new prospects…though, she had to admit, she hadn't seen him date anyone in the months she had been there. It made her feel a bit guilty, to be driving his lovers away, as such, she decided to at least save his reputation.

* * *

Yoruichi was extremely protective of her 'adopted' little sister, and for a while, constantly worried that Seireitei would change their minds. Life with Yoruichi and Kisuke was wonderful and Rien would often just sit and watch the ways in which they interacted. When Rien initially suggested to her friends that they were involved, all the boys laughed at the idea, only Rukia, Tatsuki, and Inoue understood. That's when Rien learnt about the vast difference between men and women.

For the first few months, Rien was shadowed by one of her friends…everywhere she went. Even when alone, which infrequently occurred, Rien felt like her every move was being watched. After her first four depressive months, Rien decided that she needed to be more independent, and began to frequently give her friends 'the slip' and venture out alone…mostly to the beach at night, though, besides the serenity of it, she could not understand her attraction to the isolated location. But, during one of her midnight strolls on the beach, she heard a frightening sound that chilled her to her very core. Rien had read about them in Urahara research files, strewn in hiding places, like under the floorboards, and though she had previously encountered them, while on patrol with her friends, she had never faced this danger alone before.

Rien ran, knowing it was all she could do, but the hollow pursued her. She tried to hide, but it would always find her too slow movements. She tried to remember some of the bakudo(binding) and hado(destructive) spells she had read about, but she had never practiced them – she had judged it futile with no reiatsu to strengthen the spells. Her mind had not gone blank, perhaps tempered from her time, daily facing death, with Mayuri, it was awash with ideas she had read, but never had the inclination to practice. The hollow's pace was beginning to quicken, and she would soon be unable to dodge its attacks.

She stood, facing it in the distance, and spoke the foreign words, but nothing happened. It was closing in on her. Again she tried, this time with more determination, "Way of destruction, 4: Byakurai," it was the only one she could truly remember, for obvious reasons, and she reluctantly used it. She had used the recommended alternate hand gesture in Urahara's notes, her left arm, at 90 degrees, holding onto the elbow of her right hand, which itself was taughtly held in front of her, two fingers facing forward.

At first, nothing happened. She kept her head down, unable to peer at the close proximity of the approaching hollow, ready to endure the hit. She felt it slowly build inside of her, then exponentially expand, as though the force would rip through her if she did not release it. She looked up at the hollow, only a few feet away from her…it released itself though she had not known how to. A long tendril of pale white lightening, jaggedly formed in the now growing static of the air.

It hit the hollow!

She fell to her knees, only then realising it had only lost an arm and continued to approach. As the tentacle threatened to crash down on her, she was suddenly standing behind it. She realised she had somehow shunpo'ed, and tried to outrun it now, leading it away from any nearby people it may hurt. The shunpo felt effortless, like breathing – she felt she could do it all night. She assessed after a few flashes, that the more she used it, the faster it became, and the greater the distance she could cover in one flash. She felt she was almost outrunning it now, but she wondered if it would ever stop chasing her. She did not know if she could trust the daemon magic, it was erratic at best. Though she knew the earlier spell was poorly aimed due to her hesitation, she did not trust the feeling it awoke in her.

But there was no need. The hollow disappeared in a flash of red light. Urahara stood behind it. Disapprovingly staring Rien down, he said nothing to chastise her, but the look had been enough to cause a flood of guilt to wash over her. As her legs gave way, Kisuke caught her and shunpo'ed home, with the exhausted, but still conscious Rien. Rien feared Yoruichi's reaction above all, knowing how overprotective she was. She now contemplated that perhaps being eaten by the hollow was not such a bad way to die, considering the caring wrath she would now have to endure.

* * *

Since their return, there had been a sharp increase in both hollow and arrancar appearances. They attributed this phenomenon to one of two possible theories, either due to her friends increased strength attracting the hollows, or, perhaps Aizen's more than speedy progression in his plans to enter heaven and merge all their worlds. But, in the aftermath of the incident, Kisuke and Yoruichi has guessed that the sudden increase in hollow activity was probably some kind of reaction to Rien crossing over into the real world. They urged Rien to keep it a secret from her friends, especially Rukia, who would be forced to report it to Seireitei. Yoruichi was deathly afraid of what Seireitei would do if any hint of this new development reached their notice. Rien would probably be executed on the spot – to protect the rest of the world of course! But, Yoruichi and Kisuke would never let any harm befall Rien again, even if it meant battling the whole of Seireitei.

Until now, they had hoped that the hollows were either after Ichigo or the others, since Rien was always shadowed by one of them, but Kisuke had always suspected, but never wanted to test, his alternate theory – as Rien had inadvertently done that night. Urahara deduced that it was perhaps not the case of Rien not having any reiatsu, but rather, that her reiatsu was difficult to detect. Even that night, he hadn't been able to sense her at all. Rien thought it a silly notion, like acknowledging the wind but being unable to feel it.

Kisuke had startled himself awake that night, fearing she was in danger, knowing he was unable to detect her, he had simply followed his instinct and the reiatsu of the emerging hollow. He could barely bring himself to ponder what would have happened to Rien had he not found her when he had. Reluctantly, Urahara and Yoruichi had subsequently decided that Rien should begin training, in case she ever encountered a hollow alone again. She should be able to defend herself, or at least get away, they thought.

Kisuke was a good teacher, but would always say cryptic things that Rien never understood like, "All I can teach you is resolve." He trained her in the use of a katana, and Yoruichi would train her in hand to hand combat everyday. Yoruichi could not help but also impart some of her experience about the ways of the world, and men. Men seemed to be Yoruichi's favourite subject, and she would constantly suggest Rien experience _things_ for herself.

"Why don't they ever just say what they mean?" Rien asked exasperated, one day – to which Yoruichi had no answer. "Their souls scream out the truth anyway," Rien added.

"Don't go saying cryptic things like that around Rukia," Yoruichi warned, as she tried to kick but Rien defended. They had found Rien's ability to use shunpo and hakuda(hand to hand combat) increased exponentially as the months passed. Yoruichi even began to teach Rien shunko, which is a specialisation only taught to those in the Shihouin clan, so she could strengthen her hakudo attacks with the ki of her shunko. Shunko used ki instead of reiatsu. If one were to think of it in relation to confectionaries, ki could be likened to the ingredients, and reiatsu, the cake it produced. It was difficult to assess anything about Rien, including the magnitude of her ki, which seemed almost limitless – though Urahara deemed that to be an impossibility since ki was only ever generated within the body.

Now, Rien's training injuries healed with frightening speed, as though they had never occurred. Moments after incurring a wound, she would wipe her bloody arm, to reveal no cut, just smooth, soft skin. Seeing this type of ability manifest, Yoruichi had assessed that only she and Urahara should help Rien train in combat, but Ishida, Ichigo and Renji had already seen it happen, so that cat was already out of the bag.

Rien felt an immense guilt weigh on her shoulders everytime she accumulated one more thing she needed to keep from Rukia. When Rukia noticed the change, she assured Rien she would rather not know, and that she felt better not having to betray Rien to Soul Society, but the guilt did not lift for Rien. She hated that any progress she made pulled her away from someone she considered a sister, as Yoruichi was to her. But, Rukia was far more reserved with Rien, whereas Yoruichi treated her like she had known her for a lifetime. Rien intuitively knew the reason, but did not like to dwell on it – the only sibling relationship Rukia knew was the one she had with Byakuya – and, one could not really deem it a close relationship, though they cared for eachother immensely, neither was willing to let the other in. So, Rien laboriously attempted to break down Rukia's walls, sometimes encountering repair crews trying to put them back up.

* * *

**Author's Note**

I just wanted to let reviewers know that I do read their reviews and take head of all that is said within them. In order to supplicate, to an extent, to my reviewers, I have chosen to update with my whole 'Real World' arc at once.

I know what you have been asking for, and waiting for, but I just wanted to make it plausible, and not just add that in for the novelty of it. If it happens…I want it to be awesome. So, I have not deviated from my original story, but please bare with me if you can. I hope you enjoy these chapters.


	11. Flash Blossom

**Supernova**

By Willow Athena

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach, or any of its characters, but Rien is definitely mine, as is this story.

**Author's Note:** This chapter is 10 months after their escape. If you have the time, I think chapter 10, 11, and 12 should be read in one go, to make the most sense…just a suggestion – I know it's a big chunk.

Oh, I should also probably warn people about the language usage towards the end of this chapter. The 'F' word is used…a few times.

* * *

**Chapter 11- Flash Blossom**

In her training session with Kisuke one afternoon, Rien was plagued by something she had noticed at university. Now that she could read his movements, after months of training with him, she knew when Kisuke was going easy on her. Working towards a personal goal now, to be able to protect herself from hollows, she was serious about training, and Kisuke was going to pay for his hobo-attitude today.

The wheel of time had cycled to summer once more, and the training ground under Urahara's shop was hotter than normal. Rien's skin was cold to the touch, not from sweat, but just because that's the way it always was. The hot wind blew Rien's short, pleated, lilac skirt. She wore a wore a tight black halter top, similar to Yoruichi's, as she found that less clothes produced less drag when trying to successfully pull off this move.

Summer was her favourite season, she had come to realise. It was the only season in which she did not have to bundle herself like an Eskimo. Rien was constantly, unnaturally cold – it was consistent with the shallowness of her pulse, Ishida had observed to Rien once, she then joked in response, "It beats so slowly, as though it has all the time in the world," to which they both nervously laughed, as Ishida's carefully documented list of odd-Rien-related-things grew.

Kisuke and Yoruichi were excellent teachers, and noticed Rien's inclination towards perfection, her almost obsession with mastering every move she learnt. They assessed her to be extremely intelligent, and a brilliant tactician when it came to battle. She would frequently use her limited skill to cripple her opponent or put them on the back foot before striking. Although her power was insignificant compared to her friends, she would never easily be beaten. Rien was distracted today, she wondered if she should attempt the move at all. She could hear Rukia struggle in her battle with Renji a short distance away.

Ishida's tutoring in sensing reiatsu was invaluable to Rien. When in trouble, which seemed a daily routine for her, she could easily sense her friends, though they could still not sense her. She would quickly pick out Ishida's blue spirit thread, or Renji, Rukia, or Ichigo's red, and immediately shunpo to them if she needed assistance with a hollow. Being able to sense reiatsu, also helped her gauge when, or from where her opponent would attack.

Rien finally gave in to her curiosity. "I see it all the time at university – why do men always lie about being in control in their relationships?" Rien asked, as she struggled to parry one of Kisuke's blows. She really shouldn't fight when she's distracted, she thought. Unlike her or Ishida, most people seemed to use university as a social event, where dramas would unfold as people moved from one relationship to the next. Rien had heard many guys boast about their conquests of one girl or the next, and refute being 'pussy-whipped', whatever that meant, when in a relationship with a girl they cared about. She had wanted to ask Ishida about it, since he was with her when she heard it, but she had thought better of it, and decided to ask Kisuke instead.

"Because men are always under the spell of the woman they love, and most of them don't have enough insight to see it that way," Urahara answered wisely, continuing to playfully attack her, with no intention to hurt her today. Rien knew that her skills would never develop, unless her soul felt it was in danger, and this was why she was annoyed with his current hobo-attitude.

Rien contemplated Urahara's wise response as she continued to attack him – she eventually decided he was right. Real power sometimes conceals itself under the guise of weakness – intelligent women, allowed their partners to think they were in charge, and subtlety advanced their agendas, rather that exerting force, making their men actually believe it was their idea. She had heard women speak of this, often in bathrooms where they would all decide who was interested in who, and who was going to 'give it up'. She had once attempted to simulate this repeated conversation with Rukia and Inoue, but all Rukia would admit to was having 'feelings' for both Renji and Ichigo, to which Rien replied 'I also have _feelings_ for them, tell me what yours are, and I'll tell you mine' – Rukia had not meant to betray it to her, but people always felt compelled to reveal things to Rien…Rukia had kissed one of them, but she wouldn't say which, and Rien knew when not to push. Inoue would also not reveal any particulars to Rien, but admitted that she too was interested in someone, but that she was not hopeful. Neither of them were insensitive enough to ask Rien about her romantic interests, and so, the conversation ended as quickly as it had begun.

Relationships were more complicated than Yoruichi would have her believe. It was more than just physicality, there were emotions, power, struggle, angst, humour, and sometimes deception. Rien was glad she had managed to avoid this type of encounter, even though Yoruichi pushed for her to increase her exposure in this area. Her innocence had faded a little, though not completely disappeared, tempered slightly by her anguish – she rarely let her innocence exude, unless she wanted to charm them for some reason.

Rien landed a flurry of blows, sending Kisuke sliding back – it was the perfect opportunity. She flash stepped behind him, sheathing her katana in the process. Appearing behind him, she chose to stab Urahara in the kidney, not wanting to truly injure him.

"Ow!" He moaned, as the sheathed katana struck him. He turned around and hugged her, smiling broadly. In the distance, Rien could see Renji and Rukia also run towards her.

"When did you learn senka?" Kisuke smiled from ear to ear, hands still on Rien's shoulders. He had though a move this complex beyond her capabilities.

"Is that what it's called?" Rien had no idea that it had a name, or that it was Byakuya's signature move. Lethal if done accurately. "I saw Yoruichi teach it to Renji last week. I had to watch her show him numerous times before I figured out what she was doing." Although Renji had failed to wrap his brain around the finesse of the move, Rien had teased it out.

Renji clapped her on the back in congratulations. "You learnt Byakuya's move." He insensitively howled, as though thoroughly impressed. Renji could now easily follow the movement, but had not been able to duplicate it as yet. Renji was as determined as ever to exceed his taichou, but another threat had distracted his concentration this year, Ichigo's renewed pursuit of Rukia. Although Renji thought of Ichigo as a friend, he would not share Rukia with him. Rukia was _his alone_, he had decided, and spent hours contemplating how to foil Ichigo's every plan to acquire her affections but, never once had he considered planning an assault of his own. Renji had all but given up on his goal, when Ichigo had emerged triumphant after his 21st birthday party, boasting an impossibility. Renji had subsequently deemed Ichigo's boasts as lies, when nothing had changed in their circumstances. These days, Ichigo looked more depressed than Renji, and Renji always looked excessively solemn. Rien had also noticed Rukia's burdened look, but none would talk to her about it, except Renji, but even he concealed a truth he would not release.

"I'm sorry," Rien needlessly apologised to Rukia who smiled next to her. "I didn't know it was his." They could feel the atmosphere shift, and the blood turn to ice in her veins as she thought of him. There was just too much longing in that thought – she shook it out of her mind. The move was dead to her now – it would remind her of him everytime she used it. She would never use it again. _What a waste of time_, she thought. She had spent so much time on it. She had no reiatsu to speak of, and the move did not come easily to her – now she had to discard it.

"Why don't you go to the movies," Urahara suggested, trying to shift her mood. "I know Ishida's asked you," he winked at Rien. She was not amused by his insinuation. "I'm going to be having some unwelcomed customers this afternoon, and I'd rather not tempt fate," he revealed. Urahara now called the other shinigami who visited his shop 'unwelcomed customers'.

"Hai, onee-chan," Rien replied, meaning brother-in-law to only them, it was their inside joke – since Rien now _knew_ about Kisuke and Yoruichi's relationship. _That was the most embarrassing way to find out about sex_, Rien had thought at the time. But, she could not have fathomed her utter mortification the next day, as Yoruichi explicitly described the 'eel and the cave' to her – that had been far worse than she could have ever imagined.

Fuck – Rien had learnt, was a very versatile word, that denoted surprise as well as activities she would rather not dwell on. When encountering these activities, at first, surprise was noted "What the fuck" then later followed by an apology from Yoruichi, "I'm sorry, I don't know what the fuck I was thinking. Its not your fault. I just didn't want you to find out about us like that." It was a peculiar word, Rien thought, to have such versatility. Having heard Ichigo use it to ward Renji from interrupting his plans with Rukia, 'Fuck-off Renji'. And, also hearing Renji confess to Rien that he would '…fuck Ichigo up if he touches Rukia'.

Yoruichi had long ago given up on trying to hide things from her 'little' sister. Rien would frequently not be able to even stomach her dinner, as Yoruichi would nibble on Kisuke's ear and remark on how much tastier he was. Rien learnt to never again venture out to inspect any noises at night, even breaking glass or loud thumping. The place could be broken into for all she cared, but, she would never again subject her eyes to those two intertwined bodies ever, ever…ever again!

* * *

**Author's Note**

Senka means flash blossom…but then, I guess everyone who reads this and watches Bleach already knows that…but, just in case.

I just wanted to thank my reviewers again…you say such nice things, and it makes me so happy to hear from you…I've also noticed it really motivates me to update faster – especially when my procrastination threatens to flare up.


	12. A Waking Dream

**Supernova**

By Willow Athena

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach, or any of its characters, but Rien is definitely mine, as is this story.

**Author's Note:** This chapter begins right after the last, and takes us through one month...making that 11 months after their escape.

Thank you to all my reviewers for the encouragement. I write for both our pleasure, so I hope you enjoy it as I have.

* * *

**Chapter 12- A Waking Dream**

They had stayed out late at the movies, but Rien could still not fall peacefully asleep. Thanks to Yoruichi, and life experience, Rien was able to recognise the languages of love now. She had recently realised Ishida's feelings for her were more than just friendship. Rien could not even consider being with Ishida until she forgot about the man who was unforgettable to her. She had been distancing herself from Ishida, so as not to hurt him – as she inevitably felt she would. However, Ishida proved to be persistent and patient, and Rien could feel his loving touch pull her back to him. Especially tonight – as he caressed her cheek, as he held her close in the darkness of the cinema, bracing her from the cold he knew she felt. There was no doubt in her mind, Ishida knew her…almost as well as Yoruichi did. She knew she would just have to try harder to push him away.

Although she had not done so in a while, Rien dreamt of Byakuya that night…of him being chased, of him being in danger, of a river of blood consuming him.

"Byakuya!" She had startled herself awake from the nightmare.

She was not where she expected herself to be. She was lying in Ishida's awake arms. For some reason, she checked under the sheets – she was still wearing clothes at least. "I'm sorry, I don't really know how I got here. How long have you been awake?" Her voice was tentative, but slightly distracted as she had already begun to lose the content of the nightmare. She tried to concentrate on it, but, as dreamwork does, it was quick to conceal itself within her once more.

Ishida had silently gotten up and walked to his balcony by now. "Not long," he said without turning back to look at her.

"You should have just woken me." Rien, once more, tried to retrace what had happened.

"Maybe," Ishida said, his voice like ice. Rien could have sworn she heard his heart crack, just a little.

Rien went up to him on the balcony, and looked at his beautiful eyes, without the protection of his glasses to shield her from the agony he was in. She put her hand on his cheek, but he recoiled from her touch.

"Don't," he softly pleaded. He went back inside, and put a shirt over his 21 year old, lean, muscular frame. "I'll take you home before Urahara and Yoruichi wake up," he said, as he grabbed his car keys on his dresser.

He would not hold her close to hirenkyaku there, though admittedly, it would be much faster. He would allow himself to be mad at her, this once, though he knew it would not last for long.

* * *

**Rien's POV**

It had happened every night that week – the same dream, and me waking up in Ishida's arms. I hadn't wanted to worry Yoruichi or Kisuke, who were already worried about something which was too big of a secret to tell me. Ishida, Ichigo and I had tried to solve this conundrum on our own, as Rukia and Renji had also mysteriously disappeared – this did not bode well for Ichigo increasingly bad mood.

Ishida had tried sleeping in different rooms, and unsuccessfully tried staying awake, but we could just not figure out what was going on with me. Even Ichigo, sometimes on watch against my room door, would not see me leave. I had tried tying myself to the bed, but nothing changed in the morning. Renji and Rukia's disappearance, meant that they were unable to help with daemon magic binding spells, and so, we were left to our own convolute devices.

I could no longer take Ishida's look of agony every morning, as I screamed Byakuya's name in _his_ arms. I decided it warranted a departure from my current quest of training and finding a way to pay Jyuushiro back, and so, I shifted my concentration from my current research project to focus all my efforts on attempting not to stomp on Ishida's now fragile, cracked heart. I cared for him. I cared for him as more than just a friend but, my feelings for him did not consume me, and I knew that it would not be enough…for either of us.

I performed the spell I had been researching for the past week, in the hopes that today had been my last morning of terrorising Ishida. I had woken up in his arms everyday fro two weeks now, and although he appeared hardened to it by now, I knew it damaged him everyday – and he had no time to repair the rupture before the next attack.

I unwillingly drifted into sleep. The same dream – Byakuya, an odd-looking man with scythes, like a reaper, a harbinger of death, darkness, and the a river of blood engulfing him.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Ishida woke me.

I was cold. It was still dark. I didn't know where we were. He looked worried. "Who did this to you?" He kept repeating the question as he shook me. _The spell? Is that what he's worried about?_

"I did the spell – to stop myself from hurting you." It all still felt like a dream to me. "But, I guess it didn't work." I chuckled at his concern, it was far more palatable than his agony. I was still confused about where we were, but it did not feel familiar.

"Then break the spell! I can't move you out of the middle of the road as long as the spell is active." His normal shirtless form tried to focus my attention. He was right, though the situation had not changed, the location had. "_I_ can't break the spell, you'll have to do it." He held my face within his soft, gentle hands – forcing me to waken fully and focus my attention on reality.

_Of course I couldn't move, I shouldn't even be here_, I thought. _It was Way of binding, 61: Six Rod Prison of Light_ – I must have performed the spell poorly. Not knowing how to properly dispel the magic, I held onto two of the rods, and broke them. I was vulnerable, it seemed, to the dispelling of my own ki. My lack of proficiency with the spell, made the rods shatter, and stab into my hands, causing superficial wounds that just bled profusely. Ishida scooped me up into his arms, and hirenkyaku'ed to his bedroom.

I walked out to the balcony to allow the cool breeze to clear my head, and not to drip my blood all over Ishida's carpet. My hands limply rested over the banister of the balcony, drops of blood dripping like water from a leaky tap. I peered into the beauty of the woods, that were Ishida's back yard – I knew it was where he went to train in isolation, and where he meditated away the injuries I had inflicted upon him. In the stillness of this night, I could hear the soft rush of his nearby waterfall. He had taken me there a few times, never calling it a date, though Renji always remarked to me that it was – even if it was, I would have still gone, if he'd asked me – if I was ever going to consider dating anyone it would have definitely been him but, I now knew enough to know that all I was, was trouble, and he would do well to stay away.

He came out with his doctors bag and cleaned my wounds, assessing that they did not require stitches, although he could not get them to stop bleeding all over his hands. "I'm sorry about this again," I apologised, though I knew it would do nothing for his unease.

"Uh-ha," he dismissively said as he worked. This time he was probably angry that I had gotten myself a bit scratched up. _There's just no winning with some people_, I thought.

"I should be trying to heal _your_ wounds, not the other way around." I tried to make light of our depressing situation. He did not deny that he was injured, perhaps this was progress.

"What made you consider _this_ catastrophic disaster?" Concern and anger mingled in his voice. He put his doctor's bag away and came back with a few butterfly plasters. Ishida's muscles were toned and well defined, but his touch was still soft and gentle as he cared for me. His bare, defined chest shone like ivory in the pale moon light. I had gotten used to its feel beneath my skin as I slept – but, those were just selfish thoughts.

"Shouldn't you be wearing your glasses when treating patients?" I teased. In reality, I selfishly wanted his glasses to protect me from the cries of his soul, from the agony he was in.

"Shouldn't you answer my question," he said without looking up, instead, he silently continued his work, letting the silence grow between us.

"I can see how much I hurt you. I don't want to do it anymore," I whispered to him, more than just a hint of pain in my voice.

"There – finished," he said, as he gently lay my hands down, and looked at me with his beautiful, blue, agony-filled eyes. "I care about you…" I found myself admitting. "I can't watch you be hurt by me anymore. I just wanted to find a way to make it all better." I felt the emotion well up inside me, heavily weighing on my chest, suffocating my strangled speech.

He looked at me with uncertainty as I stood at the corner of his balcony. He closed what little distance remained between us. Running his left hand through my hair, he let it rest along my jaw. He pulled my head to him and kissed my forehead. "You already know how to make it all better – you just don't know what you're going to do about it." His eyes pierced mine, as his words sunk in. I had decided, I thought, but he always made me unsure – perhaps due to my reluctance to hurt him, or perhaps…

He turned to leave. I caught his left arm, with my throbbing right hand before he could depart. "Ishida…" I said it as a plea for him not to leave as yet – not until I figured this out, once and for all.

He searched my gaze. He closed the small distance with determination and kissed me. He kissed me with a ferocity I did not expect of him. I could feel his need for me in this kiss, how his lips almost said my name with every touch, how he yearned to taste me, to consume me. After the initial shock, my lips became responsive beneath his, mirroring his actions, tasting him for the first time.

I instinctively let out a moan of enjoyment as his lips pressed hard against mine, and his hands searched my body, holding me closer against his bare chest. My hands stopped throbbing as I ran them up his torso, something I had thought about doing numerous times, but had never had the courage to implement. My hands knotted in his free hair, as his did in mine.

As he realised my yearning for him, his kisses became more gentle, soft, teasing – making my lips stalk his, work harder, and beg his to want me back. I stood on my tip-toes to be on par with his height, to stalk his lips more effectively. His lips responded, then moved lower, exploring every part of my neck. I now knew why Yoruichi and Kisuke did it – why they yearned for eachother's touch…pleasure!

And in that moment, I felt like I could go through with it – like I could be happy with just this, forever. I let my spine relax across the banister of his balcony, as his soft, red hot lips explored my neck and then collar bone, moving lower with each kiss.

But, that moment of pleasure was short lived. Just when I thought I had escaped his grip, had relinquished the memory of his touch – I sensed his presence, I opened my eyes to see something that vaguely resembled him, lurking in the shadows of the wood. As the memory of _that kiss_ resurfaced, it simultaneously drained the vitality of this experience. Byakuya's image was like a deluded-hallucination I pulled out of the ether of my unconsciousness to rob me of any happiness in the present. How masochistic of me.

It was in that moment that I knew Ishida and I would never work out, never last past this fleeting moment. Now I would have to break his heart. One quick break that he could set and heal from.

I stopped him as he was about to remove one of the straps of my top. He looked down at me, unsure – I felt my heart waver in response. I kissed him. One last, yearning-filled kiss – knowing we could never be the same after this.

I held his face in my hands. "I cant do this. I thought I was ready, but I'm so far from it." He nodded understandingly in response, still out of breath. That was just it – I wasn't out of breath. My head wasn't swimming. I hadn't lost control. I yearned for the intensity of what he was feeling, but I now knew I would not be able to have that with him. We just weren't meant for eachother.

I held his face in my hands, forcing him to focus, so he would not mistake this for anything other than what it was – the end.

"It was amazing – you were amazing. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before…" I paused to gather my courage. "But, I still don't think we're going to work out. You deserve better than the irreparably shattered pieces of my broken heart. You deserve someone who can put their childish dreams aside, and truly love the beautiful, caring, magnificent man you are."

He had regained his composure now, and had silently listened to all I had to say. I listened carefully for the sound of his heart shattering, or his soul crying out in agony – but, there was nothing. He seemed _fine _– uninjured.

"Okay, I think you're right." His words surprised me. I searched his eyes for signs of deception, but there were none. "I do deserve someone who will love _only_ me." A peculiar calm washed over him, as though I had failed his litmus test, if you could call a kiss that. "Its over – I guess." He smiled, it seemed dissonant with the topic being discussed. "I'm kind of ashamed of my behaviour – I relentlessly pursued you to be mine…but, I paid little attention to what you wanted, to who you desired. I just wanted to give you what I thought was best for you – me." I was still in shocked silence, attempting to digest his words. "But, I see now that I can't make you love me – and, no matter what I do, you'll still love _him_." He laughed as he thought back on his actions, on my reactions.

"I _do_ love you, Ishida – just not the way you'd like me to." I solemnly added as I peered into the empty wilderness. Noting my hallucination having fucked off, after achieving its goal. I wondered if I would ever find the will to be happy without _him_.

"But, you almost completely had me, Dr Ishida," I threw in just to tease him – to lighten the now aching silence.

"Mm," he doubtfully replied, returning to the silence effectively distancing us.

* * *

**Not Rien's POV**

"Ishida is so fucking gay! Beautiful girls only hang out with him cause he's harmless," an oversized jock spat loudly from the table adjacent to Ishida's. Ishida ignored the words, although it made his reiatsu turn dark with fury, he controlled his expression and continued to read his book in the crowded cafeteria, waiting for his next class to begin. Rien stood behind him a few tables away, feeling tentative about approaching him after their kiss and 'break up' earlier that morning. She had also heard the, too loud, insults being spoken at the table, and pondered if she should keep her promise, or if it would further hurt him to have her defend his honour. She decided subtlety was her best option as she found their continuing insults about Ishida unforgivable.

Rien walked passed the table as they called 'hey baby' and other disgusting sentiments. She ignored them as though their words were silent hot winds blowing beneath her feet, too insignificant to comment on. She walked over to Ishida who sat at the lone chair at his table, he looked up at her short skirt knowing just from her long legs that it was her. He looked back down and continued to read his book, not bothering to speak. She gently pulled the book from his hand and plopped herself down on his lap, considering there were no other chairs. Ishida's expression sternly reproached Rien, but she did not care. The adjacent table was now intriguingly watching them as though it were the final of a reality TV show.

"Don't be like this…"Rien began. "I'm sorry I slept right on top of you the other night, I really did try to stay on my side, but you're so warm, and we both wear so little to sleep." Rien began with a kind of truth, so Ishida would not think her mad, and soon catch her drift. Rien found it difficult to sleep in clothes, and so wore very little to bed, though she tried, since she half-expected to wake in his arms each morning. The other night's cold breeze had caused her to sleep completely on top of his warm body, but he had not complained about that in particular, just silently ached as she called Byakuya's name when she woke. Rien had said the words loudly enough for the adjacent table, already eavesdropping, to hear, and Rien could slyly see the table of ten jocks beam confused looks at eachother.

"I really don't mind, your body's very light anyway. I just need time…last night…" Ishida began, but Rien stopped him with a kiss before he exposed the truth to the eavesdropping table. The kiss surprised Ishida, but he did not push her away. It was an innocent kiss, compared to their intensity last night, but it shocked everyone in the cafeteria, not just the jocks at the adjacent table. Although other people frequently kissed their lovers here, Ishida had never demeaned himself to kiss anyone where prying eyes could see. Rien was determined to leave no doubt in anyone's mind, about Ishida's sexual inclination or capabilities. Although _he_ had tried to keep the kiss chaste, Rien's determined intensity forced him to give in to her cool lips, and he slowly forgot about everything as her taste intoxicated him. His hands ran up her thighs to just below her skirt, while his other held her securely against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, running a hand through his hair, she swivelled to a more comfortable position on his lap. It was, as she would later tell Yoruichi – physically, she was incredibly attracted to him, and found that she could easily lose herself in the pleasure of his body, but that was certainly not enough of a basis for a good relationship.

He suddenly pulled away, panting again, trying to control his body in this public place. She noticed the shallow rhythm of her pulse in relation to his, and inwardly sighed once more, "I know…you don't have to say it back, but…I do love you," Rien continued loudly enough. In her peripheral vision, she saw a flash of orange hair dash out of the cafeteria…the rumours about Ichigo and Ishida could surely not be true, Rien thought, trying to further map out her plan to defend Ishida's honour. "Perhaps we could discuss it later tonight." Rien's voice took a seductive turn Ishida had never heard before. She slinked out of his lap, with everyone in the cafeteria stealthily attempting to watch them. "I'll see you tonight, then?" It really wasn't a question, rather an inevitability, Rien thought. She would have to phone him in a few minutes and explain her behaviour, but she was on another mission now…to track down the orange hair. "Don't break my heart, not again," she cryptically added for the other table's benefit. Ishida looked skeptically at her, almost accusingly, and Rien felt the guilt of the insensitive, foolish words crash down on her. She controlled her expression and twinkled at him as she left. As soon as she was alone, she shunpo'ed in search of the orange hair…why had it felt so familiar? She had been distracted by her thoughts following the kiss, and she berated herself for not having concentrated harder.

* * *

**Author's Not**e

If you love Bleach, click to the next episode…


	13. Gigai

**Supernova**

By Willow Athena

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach, or any of its characters, but Rien is definitely mine, as is this story.

**Author's Note:** A while ago, when I wrote this chapter, I really enjoyed it...still do, actually. Hope you like it too.

* * *

**Chapter 13 – ****Gigai**

Rien's pursuit of the orange hair had failed. She dejectedly went home that afternoon to sulk. Pulling on her most worn, and comfortable pair of cargo pants, and a shirt she manhandledly tied above her abs, to stave off the summer heat. Her hair felt so long in the heat, somedays almost strangling her in her sleep. But, she hated putting it up, fearing the headache she knew she would encounter if she succumbed and tied the flowing locks. Rien lay half under Kisuke's low dining table – the bulk of her torso slinking under it, while her head emerged out of one end. She was supported by her elbows, and reading one of Kisuke's research files – as was her routine when she was perturbed. Yoruichi had noticed Rien's propensity to fall asleep and relax in the most strange places, sometime dangerous places, like thin window sills, balconies, or the edge of high rooftops. Yoruichi was always afraid she would fall and injure herself, but she never did.

"Why didn't you tell me it would be different?!" Rien accused Yoruichi, not looking up from her file of research. "Men are not all the same, I can't feel for Ishida what I feel – felt for – Why didn't you tell me!" Rien looked upset. Yoruichi had never seen her in this mood, and pondered what the cause could be.

"Did you _make love_ to Ishida last night?" Yoruichi said, shocked.

"No, don't be absurd. I'd never let it get anywhere close to that. I just…kind of…made-out with him." Rien began to turn copper thinking about it.

"Did he suck at it? Looks a little stiff, if you ask me, but that's your _type_ I guess." Yoruichi attempted to dance around the real answer to Rien's questions.

"He didn't suck," Rien defended. "It was wonderful, actually. I wanted more," she admitted to her older sister.

"Then what's the problem?" But Yoruichi already knew the answer to that question.

"I started to delude Byakuya was there – that's how much guilt I felt!" Rien remembered the hallucination of the plainly dressed figure which resembled him. Yoruichi looked worriedly at her little sister. "My kiss with Byakuya was innocent, compared to this kiss with Ishida, but…in that kiss, my heart wanted to leap out of my chest and into his, his touch was like electricity, and it tingled throughout my body…" She shook away the tears filling her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me Yoruichi," Rien pleaded rather than asked.

"The books I'd been reading on love, none of them made any sense until this morning. People can't just fall in love with anyone can they…there's just that one person…" Yoruichi had hoped that Rien was simply infatuated with Byakuya, that she would be able to find love and happiness in the real world – with someone else. Yoruichi knew Rien could never be with Byakuya, even if they both were willing – it would be impossible, countless hurdles to overcome, and pits of fire…

"What you and Kisuke have is special – I'm happy for you both, onee-sa." Rien's voice was calm, empty and resigned.

"Rien…"Yoruichi was filled with concern as she gazed into Rien's, now empty, expression.

"Don't worry, I'm fine – or at least, I'll live." Rien sugar coated her feelings for Yoruichi, so she would not be unhappy, or feel guilty. "Guess I should get another one of Kisuke's research files. Is that okay, Kisuke? I've already made notes in this one," Rien tried to sound as light as she could.

Urahara emerged form the neighbouring room, and into the lounge where they talked. A warm blush covered his face, he was not often caught out when listening to other's conversations. "Your notes, are as always, most appreciated," he continued to blush, as he saw Yoruichi's anger rise.

Rien left, attempting to distract herself with acquiring more knowledge, trying to remember how to breathe in this languid aftermath of pain.

"You shouldn't listen in on other people's conversations," Yoruichi darkly warned, once Rien was out of ear shot.

"I was going to leave, but then I heard her say…"

"You don't think she really saw him, do you?"

"Doubtful. Why would he seek her out? His squad has pressing Seireitei business to handle," Kisuke assured her.

"Right. And, his heart is a cold as ice. He made it very clear that he couldn't care less about her." Yoruichi stated, as anger filled her voice.

After Rien had been so distant during her first four months, Yoruichi had taken it upon herself to speak to Byakuya about his feelings for Rien. Yoruichi had deciphered his thinly disguised attempts to protect Rien, and how he helped with her escape – Yoruichi was one of the few people who truly knew him, before he had become, Kuchiki Byakuya, she knew him while he was still Bya-boo. His reaction to her observations about him and Rien were, to put it mildly – definitive. Yoruichi wondered at the time, if her little-Bya was still in there somewhere, but now, she didn't really care…she knew she would have to hurt him if he continued to hurt her family.

"I've made all the preparations for the party," Kisuke announced, in an attempt to shift Yoruichi's sudden murderous mood, as she paced vowing she would murder Byakuya the next time she saw that look in Rien's eyes.

"Kisuke, I know we wanted to give her the one thing she didn't have – a family…" Yoruichi's voice filled with uncharacteristic uncertainty, "…do you think she thinks of us in that way?"

Kisuke gently touched her cheek, as only a lover could, and let his lips breathe calm into her heart.

* * *

Rien had been told to stay out of the attic for a month now, she knew it must be where Kisuke kept his red box of very special, unfinished research. Although Kisuke welcomed her thoughts on most things, he was adamant that those particular research flies were dangerous, and that she should not dabble in anything she had read in them. It had been three months since she had seen them, but something about her kiss with Ishida pulled at her memories of them.

Rien made sure no one was around, and stealthily ran up into the attic. It was surprisingly undusty, even though Tessai-kun and the others were away on holiday. Rien knew Kisuke wasn't cleaning it, it was just a peculiar oddity. She focused her thoughts on the unfinished research files she knew Kisuke had probably hidden up here, somewhere. They proved difficult to locate. Although when she read them, they had not made that much sense to her, now that she had matured, become more intelligent, more human – she knew she would be able to crack them now. In line with her research project, she was eager to peruse though the 'Breath of life' kido healing spell she had encountered in the red files. She had noticed something, peculiar, last night, after her kiss with Ishida – her hands had been completely healed under the plasters which he had applied. She wondered if she had unknowingly scyfened some of his ki and healed herself, or if Ishida had used a kido healing spell she did not recognise…she shook the thought away – Quincy couldn't use daemon magic after all.

Something about the red box of research bounced around her mind, and she was determined to find it. She had searched the whole attic, but had, had no luck. All that was left to rifle through was a big, locked, wardrobe. She finally found the key, carelessly tossed aside. She struggled with it in the lock. One of the doors eventually fell open, and she felt the weight of a body fall on her. She was internally pleased that she had become strong enough not to topple over from the weight of it. The weight still brought her to her knee, as the body lay, lifeless, half draped over her slight form.

_Kisuke must keep some gigai's up here too. How careless of its user to not secure it into place_, she thought. Renji and Rukia's gigais' were secured in the cubboard downstairs. _Why would this one be alone up here?_ As she tried to lift herself and the gigai up, she noticed something familiar about the imperfect smell and feel of the gigai. In the dimly lit attic, she put her head down and pushed her hands against its chest to get it back to a standing position.

It was upright. Rien's head was down and her breathing was shallow. The clothes it wore looked familiar, she thought, as she continued to push against the gigai's chest, to keep it upright – but she could not place them.

"Rien...Rien…Where are you? Rien, I have a surprise…"

_Damn, Kisuke's looking for me. It's probably best if he not find me in here._

She pulled the key out of the door, and got into the dark cupboard with the gigai. She closed the wardrobe door, but could not lock it from the inside – so, she crushed the back of her body into the gigai's, holding both her, and it, up, as she tried to keep the wardrobe door closed.

"Rien?" She heard Kisuke bellow from the attic entrance. As long as she remained silent, she knew he would never find her. They all relied too heavily on being able to sense people's reiatsu's – and, she had none.

The gigai pressed against her was much taller than her 1,65 meter frame, and far more muscular – she thought about the eeriness of the soulless body and shuddered at the thought of its possible expression. She heard Kisuke's footsteps soften as he walked further away from the attic. Rien touched the limp hand. It felt human, like Ichigo's – but Ichigo was not this tall, and he didn't need a gigai.

While the opportunity presented itself, she quickly opened the cupboard door. Holding the gigai secure with her shoulder, she strapped it onto the now half-dark wardrobe. As she stepped out of the wardrobe, and turned to lock the door, she saw it – the beauty of the hands she had touched in the darkness. She was thankful that she could not see its face in the shadows. But, his beautiful, strong hands were unmistakable.

Now she knew why Kisuke had singled this gigai out, had placed it alone in this locked cupboard – so that the chance sight of it would not revive her and kill her in the same moment.

"Rien…Rien," Yoruichi, had also joined the search for her, it seemed. Rien locked the cupboard without a second glance, and stealthily snuck back down.

"Yoruichi?" It was night now. Rien walked into the lounge where all the lights were off, but she sensed Yoruichi's presence. She thought it odd that her older sister would lounge in the dark, but when it came to Yoruichi, this was perhaps one of the least odd things she had done.

"SURPRISE!" A chorus of voices screamed as the disorienting lights were simultaneously turned on. Rien always felt more comfortable in the dark, often almost disappearing into the shadows. She now felt the luminosity of all the extra flashing party lights, sear her retinas, almost blinding her with their scintillating colours. As her eyes adjusted, and her brain unfroze itself from the comatose lights, she saw the large group of people gathered: Ishida; Ichigo; Chad; Inoue; Tatsuki; as well as Jinta and the others. Rien could not understand why the aprty was a surprise, or why there was a party at all. There was a beautifully made banner with her name on it – 'Shihouin Rien', that's all it said.

"You have officially been adopted into the Shihouin family, as of today!" Yoruichi beamed her excessively happy news to Rien.

"But how? There were so many technicalities and hurdles…and the elders were so resistant to the idea." Rien had the same innocent and confused look she had, had the first day she dropped into their lives, and Kisuke was glad to see it had not been completely eradicated by Rien's current morose agony. Although Rien had insisted that she did not mind that she was not officially Yoruichi's sister, Yoruichi would not settle for Rien being anything less than _Family_.

"I'd like to think it was the way I insisted that 'I am the head of this family – and, what I say goes'…"Yoruichi mockingly gestured. "But, I think it was you who won them over, with your talent, kind-heartedness, and beauty – when they came to interview you here last month." Yoruichi attempted to jog all their memories.

Rien remembered that day for completely different reasons. It was a day of prolonged agony, as Yoruichi and Kisuke pretended they were nothing more than friends to eachother, and the elders of the Shihouin clan pestered Yoruichi about her lack of suitors, and attempted to persuade her to start thinking about marriage. They had warned Rien to be silent about their relationship, a few days before the visit, that she was to say nothing to hint at it, or defend Kisuke in anyway. It was obvious that they disliked Kisuke, and Yoruichi living here, but everyone pretended, though it was blatantly obvious to anyone with eyes, that they loved eachother. Rien had been observantly silent on the isuuse, though she did not understand the politics of what was going on.

"How about we handle one landmine at a time. We don't want to kill the old geezers outright." That was all Yoruichi said in reply to Rien's barrage of questions.

It had worked! Rien now had a family – people to whom she belonged. She had not expected it to evoke such warmth in her, but it was an extremely comforting thought…to no longer be alone in the world. To have people who would have to love and take care of her, no matter what.

"It was probably your beauty that tipped the scales," Yoruichi joked, trying to lighten the significance of the decision. "Shihouin women are the most beautiful and desired in all of Seireitei – you'll fit right in," she added with a laugh.

"Maybe now they'll pester you, for the next two hundred years, about getting married," Yoruichi said, relieved.

An overflow of emotion had filled Rien's lifeless countenance. She didn't know what to say, everything seemed inadequate, and stuck in her throat, which progressively became more dry.

"Now that you're family, they're already trying to get that idiotic exile from Seireitei lifted, so you can visit home," Yoruichi explained.

"The noble Shihouin clan is very powerful," Kisuke added, placing his arm around Rien and squeezing her shoulders.

"Noble?" Rien had not realised that the Shihouin clan was one of the five noble houses which ruled Seireitei. It all made sense to her now. That is why her adoption had taken these 11 months, that's why there was so much resistance – because it was a position of privilege. Not offered lightly, and not to just anyone.

"I just wanted to be Yoruichi's sister. I don't want to be noble – I'm not noble, I'm just me." She unconsciously slouched from the new weight she felt fall on her. "Kisuke, this will always be my home – here, with you and Yoruichi!" Rien cried almost uncontrollably into his shoulder. He comfortingly placed his hand on her head, as she sobbed in time with the rain outside.

"It's okay. Calm down, or you'll cause a storm," he cryptically soothed. "Don't you understand – nobility has lots of power, Soul Society will find it far more difficult to pursue you now. Your family will fight for you, and soon you will be free to do as you wish." He felt her sobs lighten to nothingness on his shoulder, though the wet fabric now clung to him. "Maybe Yoruichi and I will be able to sleep easier at night, knowing no one is after you." Rien doubted they'd be using nay of that time to _sleep_.

"But this does come with a heavy price," Yoruichi darkly began. "Like me, you have to be princess to the Shihouin house." Rien saw Kisuke lace his free hand with Yoruichi's. "And, sometimes…the price can be too steep." Kisuke squeezed her hand. Rien saw Tessai wipe a few tears with a party napkin – he obviously knew Kisuke and Yoruichi's full story. Rien vowed to extract it from him later.

"Can we eat now?!" Ichigo interrupted, trying to lighten the conversation. It was a party, after all, he thought, and he felt there was no point in dwelling about the past or future. "I'm starving," he moaned. Rukia and Renji's absence at this party had raised Ichigo's suspicions, but he didn't know what to make of the gaping hole they left. " What do you say, princess Rien?" He teased, as the older brother she knew him to be – never letting her head be filled with too much narcissism. He and Renji had done all the possible things, to earn themselves that title. Rien thought herself lucky, to have two older brothers, and it seemed she was one of the only things these two friends could agree on these days. They were fiercely protective, insanely annoying, and always there for her. They had even gone so far as to warn Ishida that they would break his arms and legs if he ever touched Rein – which Ishida didn't dignify with a response. Though, today, he looked partially guilty to Ichigo, who could not fathom why the expression was plastered on his face.

* * *

The image of the gigai bothered Rein as she struggled to sleep. It was supposed to be such a happy night, but the familiarity of the gigai's clothes pulled at the edges of Rien's preconscious awareness. Rien noted the dissonance between the perfect copy of the hands' real likeness, and the ordinary, imperfect feel of its human touch. It felt nothing like his hand. Smelled nothing like his body. She decided, after much tossing and turning, to never visit that cursed attic again.

As Rien labouruously drifted into sleep – the dream began. She had been startled out of it – alone, and in her own room. "He was here – in the real world," she sleepily slurred. "I felt him! It wasn't my imagination. It's just like in the beginning of my dream…he was in the real world."

"What are you talking about?" Until now, she hadn't noticed Ishida hirenkyaku into her room – in his full Quincy battle outfit. It was probably still early, Rien thought, and obviously Ishida's night to patrol Karakura Town. She noticed the Quincy cross sparkle, dangling on the bracelet on his wrist. Having him in her room now, felt…_awkward_. She remembered all the times she had absently played with the battle accessory, though he never said anything to deter her, his expression always read 'this is not a toy'.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you to knock?" Rien was a little startled by his presence, and still navigating how to be friends in the aftermath of the previous night.

"_You_ never do," he playfully threw back, a warmth entering his voice.

"Don't you understand – if the dream is real, then…Byakuya is going to die as soon as he finds that Espada with the scythes." Rien erratically rambled her incoherent hypothesis to Ishida. If she was somehow connected to him, if the dream were real…he would die if she did nothing to stop it. It was the most unpalatable thought she had ever had, a world in which he did not exist, the thought had driven her incoherent. She quickly searched though the gift bags full of presents from the party, and happened upon Inoue's gift. Inoue had given her a long black halter neck dress, though Rien suspected Ishida had helped her pick it out. Rien decided that she would need to change if she was going to leave the house, and that her butterfly pyjamas would not be appropriate, considering her goal. Ishida turned around, as Rien unabashedly began undressing, and slipping into the long black dress.

"It's just a dream," Ishida said, still facing the wall. "Why would you think it was real?" He tried logic with her, but he had little hope of this convincing her.

"Byakuya's gigai – its wearing the same clothes as in the beginning of my dream. Why would I dream about him in those exact clothes? And, in the real world of all places. Maybe it's a premonition…Whatever it is, I know I'm supposed to help." Rien put her long black boots on.

Rien's shunpo was fast, but Ishida's hirenkyaku was quicker, and he easily followed her. She was in the training basement now, and had somehow effortlessly opened the senkai, though it required skill she did not posses.

It activated.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ishida firmly grabbed her arm, almost bruisingly, as she struggled with him.

"I wouldn't be able to forgive myself…if _I_ let him die. You must understand what that would do to me" Rien's eyes were a mixture of agony and hope – hope that she may be able to save him, and agony that she was too late. Perhaps she was too late, perhaps that's why Renji and Rukia had been absent for so long.

"Maybe you should speak to Urahara about this," he tired to reason with the obviously irrational girl, but the agony in her eyes made him reflexively loosen his grip on her. "The execution order still stands, if you go now, they'll kill you. Wait a few days until it lifts." Everything he said was true, but his only intention was to buy him some time until Urahara and Yoruichi arrived.

"If I wait, I know it will be too late," she pleaded slipping out of his grasp and running into the senkai.

Ishida had no time to think, no time to wait. He shot an arrow in after her and followed, afraid of the recklessness he knew her capable of. Even knowing the agony he would be in as the senkai changed his body into spirit particles, he knew he needed to protect her. As the gate encased him, and the agony began, Ishida wondered why Rien had seemed so sure. Was Rien that desperate to see Byakuya? _Why wouldn't she just wait_, he wondered.

As Ishida toppled onto he ground next to Rien, he vaguely saw her complete the senkai lock spell he had once seen Urahara perform. He knew it would take Urahara a while to surmise what she had done and break the lock, but he feared it would be too late to stop Rien's plan…whatever that was.

Rien was tactically brilliant, as always, Ishida thought.

* * *

**Author's Not**e

I hope you're on the edge of your seat….

If you wanna know if I'm gonna update soon etc, just check out my profile, and I'll leave a message about when updates, etc can be expected.


	14. Imperfect Sight

**Supernova**

By Willow Athena

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach, or any of its characters, but Rien is definitely mine, as is this story.

**Author's Note:** I had contemplated putting up the rest a few days ago, and letting you stew before this chapter. But, tis the season for giving, so….Merry Christmas etc.

* * *

**Chapter 14 – Imperfect Sight**

**Rien's POV**

"You locked the gate!" Ishida shouted at me.

I did not appreciate being yelled at. "Its not like I _asked_ you to follow me," I said, defensively. Secretly glad that he was with me, but wishing he would stop being so mean – it was not an attractive look for him.

"I couldn't just let you go unprotected!" He still yelled, though I could see he was losing steam. He was right – I had no power. I didn't really need protection, _I_ wasn't the one in danger.

"What exactly was your plan?"

I panicked. I couldn't bare to lose _him_. In all honesty, I really had no plan. "Maybe if I tell Byakuya about my dream, about how the fight will progress…he could find an opening and win," I pulled at straws, hearing the stupidity in my own words as the irrationally tumbled from my lips.

"Do you really think Byakuya will listen to you?..."

_No. _

"…What makes you think he won't kill us on sight?"

_Nothing. _

"…And, how do you expect to find him?"

_No idea. Sheer dumb luck, perhaps. _

I had no answers to Ishida's arsenal of questions, but, I also had no doubt that somehow, I would find him.

"Where are we?" This place did not look like the Seireitei I knew.

"Rukongai – its where Urahara's gate opens up. He's not exactly supposed to have access to Soul Society, so his gate cannot open within the walls of Seireitei. It's very far from where you remember." He sounded frustrated, but I could hear the defeat in Ishida's voice, guessing he was already trying to minimise my recklessness. He was, no doubt, trying to figure out how to get me to lay low until Yoruichi came to get me. I knew her wrath would be earth-shattering this time, so I did not weaken my resolve by dwelling on it.

"I think we should go this way," I said with certainty, as I began running in that direction. I wasn't really certain about the direction, but I lied well, and it was as good a place to begin as any.

"And what do we do when we get there?" Ishida hopelessly asked behind me.

"Maybe, all we need to do is be there, just help him a little…then maybe he won't…die." I prayed it would be true, that my insignificance could mean something more than the emptiness I felt.

A few minutes later, I began to wonder if we were going in the right direction. It was at that moment of concentration, that I sensed the Espada, and thoughtlessly ran in that direction. I could see people who had previously been picnicking at this nearby lake, now running, as a captain, and the Espada from my dream, fought. I was pleased I had gotten here in time, but as I ran closer, I still had no idea of what to do.

Nearing the battle, I realised it was not Byakuya fighting the Espada from my dream – it was, Ukitake taichou who valiantly fought the Espada. He also didn't look like he needed any help – he actually looked like he was winning!

It looked odd, as he held the connected zanpakuto in hands. He dealt a heavy blow which pushed the Espada far back, and partially buried it under rubble. Ishida and I stood, silently watching, amazed at the captain's power.

_Good, Jyuushiro is going to win…he's going to save Byakuya_, I selfishly thought.

But then I saw him fall to one knee and begin to cough uncontrollably. I instictively ran to his side. Rukia had told me about her taichou's chronically ill state, but it was such an inopportune time for it to begin to flare up.

"Ukitake taichou, are you okay? Can I help?"

He coughed again, shaking his head, the force of the cough splattered blood on his left hand as he clutched the ground. "Run!" He had managed to say between coughs. The Espada was still trying to unbury itself from under a rather large pile of rocks on the other side of the lake.

"I'll hold him off," he said between another fit of coughs.

"Ishida, can you hold the Espada off for a while, while Ukitake taichou recovers?" I almost pleaded. Ishida was strong, frighteningly so in fact, I knew he would easily be able to stall the Espada…after all, it wasn't Ishida who died in my dream.

"Of course. No problem," he exuded confidence, and his countenance shifted. "This Espada looks weak anyway," he laughed, hungry for the fight. In this light, he reminded me of Ichigo, though I would never make that remark to his face. _Ichigo! Damn, he'll be pissed when he finds out we left without him._

"No!" Jyuushiro said between, strangled, blood filled coughs.

But, I could not leave him here to an almost certain death. He had saved me, more than once! I watched until Ishida was a safe distance away before I tried the experimental spell – I was almost sure it wouldn't work, but I was determined to try. As an academic would attempt to defend, 'the research is not complete, I need more time…'. But, there was no more time left, it had to be now…it was time to convert theory into application.

"Run, Rien!" He attempted, in his most commanding voice.

I knelt, one knee on the ground, in front of him. In the pale moon light, shining off, of the adjacent lake, the contrast of Jyuushiro's pale white face and crimson lips was almost breathtaking.

"You knew I could never leave you, Jyuushiro," I smiled, cupping his face between my hands. Ishida was already busy fighting, there was no extra time left. His eyes danced at my touch and pleaded for me to leave. His coughing had subsided, and I knew it had begun.

"You gave me air, when I had none – hope in despair – a spark that warmed me. The ground that protects us, a life that connects us. Way of Resurrection, 85: Breath of life." I kissed his soft, bloodstained lips, and bound us within the spell.

He didn't try to pull away. His kiss was soft, gentle, searching. It soon became more urgent, more needing. I felt him become stronger beneath my touch…felt him rise up and cradle me against his tall frame. I hadn't kissed many people before, but I started to worry as his blood began to taste sweet, like honey. I felt his body gain vitality, his arms get stronger, his muscles everywhere become taught.

As his kiss became stronger, his right hand held my head to his, as his left secured my body. At first, it felt gentle, affectionate, loving even, but that soon began to change…I suddenly felt all the air being sucked out of my lungs, and all my ki being drained away. I began to panic.

His kiss, soft, gentle, and passionate now. It confused me. I didn't want to break free, but I continued to gasp for air that would not come. His lips tasted so sweet – I did not want to leave him. It was like seduction, unravelling in my own mind.

My mind fought back, trying to clear my thoughts. I had to leave him, he was draining all my ki – my life force…I had almost none left. I began to see dark black spots, as I finally managed to open my eyes. I did not have the strength to push him away. I did not know how to break the spell, since I had been unable to locate the red box. It should have only been performed by someone with more experience, someone more proficient.

I felt Byakuya's presence emerge nearby. He would be in danger…I needed to break free – to warn him. He had the perfection of features only a dream could conjure. As he appeared in the distance, I somehow found the will to break free from this kiss, but the explosiveness of the dispelled daemon magic, sent me flying back into the ankle deep water of the lakeshore. I felt Byakuya shunpo past me, only one breath's distance away. My legs were uncertain, I could not move from where I had landed.

As I regained my senses, I saw Byakuya already fighting the Espada and Ishida attempting to catch his breath. I saw Byakuya's leg pierced by the Espada's scythes, and the…the blood turn pink, rise up and consume him.

"Byakuya!" It was an agony filled cry, devoid of all hope. I heard the cry echo in the stillness of the night. I had failed to save the man I loved, the man I lived everyday for. All my emotions seeped from me at once, a strange feeling began to grow in the pit of my stomach.

"Don't worry," Jyuushiro said, a short distance away. "It's…_he's_ fine."

_How could he be fine?_ It had all happened exactly as it had in my dream…only now, I did not wake up in Ishida's arms. I was still stuck in this nightmare!

"It's one of Senbonzakura's most potent abilities. His blood mixes with his reiatsu and forms tiny senbon blades that refract pink in the light. He uses his body to control them and obliterate his enemies." Jyuushiro's words were warm, assuring somehow, but I would not believe the reality of it until I saw Byakuya unharmed.

As I gazed upon the scene of the massacre, I saw the Espada disintegrate into vibrant green particles, and Byakuya look up at me.

_Imperfect sight_ – I laughed to myself. I can't even trust that. I had no idea of his strength, his power…he was just _Byakuya_ to me. He was a captain after all – I should have known he would be more durable, but I could not have taken that chance. My ability to use logic obviously took a sabbatical when it came to him. I did not regret my decision to try and save him, even if it was unneeded, futile, as useless as I was.

The tiny pink blades began to compressed and form Senbonzakura once again. I felt elated as I saw him _alive_…as though my star had stopped from going nova.

There was no time between thought and action for Byakuya. As Senbonzakura stood whole again, I knew what he would do. There was no time for thought, just resolve.

As Senbonzakura's blade punctured my heart, and escaped out the other side of my body, every inch was excruciating. I had saved him! I laughed, in spite of the pain it caused. My body slid down to Senbonzakura's hilt.

"S…Senka?" I heard Ishida's voice tremble the words as he felt a warm spray of my blood hit his back.

In the moment Byakuya had looked at me, I had known he would use senka. I knew he would kill Ishida first – it's what I would have done…Eliminate the greater threat. I had no power, no threat – but, I had foiled his plans. I had saved Ishida. I had shunpo'ed behind Ishida just in time for Byakuya to deal me the deadly blow instead. Ishida should run now…but, he wasn't moving.

I watched my blood gush out of me and flow like a steady stream down the hilt, over his hands, and drip steadily onto the ground. "I couldn't let you kill him," it escaped in a whisper only he would hear. There was a big difference between dying in someone's arms, and dying by someone's hands, I ironically thought.

I looked up at him for the first time, seeing my reflection in the still pond of his eyes. His face was frozen in disbelief. I lifted my hand to touch is trembling face, "Don't worry – I'm not going to steal another kiss…I just want to remember you." I tried to focus on the softness of his skin, and away from the pain. Senbonzakura shredded my heart more, as my heart beat around it – in spite of it. I knew I did not have long.

"I loved you childishly before, innocently – oblivious to what it really meant. But, I still love you, even now, with this last breath." My words were so soft, almost inaudible, as my body failed me. I knew I would not last long once he unsheathed Senbonzakura from me. It would be like one of Yoruichi's bottles of red wine, held upside down and then uncorked. The blade was stopping all of my blood from gushing out of my insignificant body. I could not understand why he was frozen, why he did not just finish me off, it was so unlike him. My hand was progressively becoming heavier…I would have to do it soon.

It was a type of elation – knowing my torment would come to an end. I clasped my hands over his. They were covered in my blood. His haori dripped with my splattered, vibrant red blood.

'I'm sorry, I've ruined your haori, taichou." His hands trembled within mine.

"Goodbye, my love." Blood mixed with tears in my eyes as I pushed my almost limp body off, of his zanpakuto, and away from him.

I hit something softer than earth, and I heard the blood quickly _whoosh_ out of the now gaping open wound. The blood was not apparent on my black dress – not that I had time to look. It just made it heavier, wet, and cling to me.

The darkness came for me faster than I had expected. I tired to hold onto the memory of Byakuya's face. There was relief in the darkness, a lack of pain, a lack of emotions, just stillness. I regretted nothing. I welcomed its peace, its emptiness – its nothingness.

* * *

**Author's Note**

This is not the end of my story, just the end of my 'Real World' arc. I have been contemplating how long I should let my reviewers live in suspense…

Review and let me know what you think.


	15. I shuffle off this mortal coil

**Supernova**

By Willow Athena

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach or any of its characters, but Rien and this story are definitely mine

**Author's note:** I see this story has been getting favourited a lot recently. I just want to say a "Thank you" to everyone for all their encouragement. And, to all my wonderful reviewers, your comments really mean a lot to me, and please everyone, continue to review…it's really nice to hear from the people who read my story.

Sorry it's been a longer wait than normal for an update from me, and at such a crucial juncture in the story. Christmas etc…you know how it is. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 15 – I shuffle off this mortal coil**

He had caught her before she hit the ground. Blood gushed out of her chest. It was only a minute before he reached Unohana's hospital with the limp girl in his arms.

"Unohana!" He managed to scream, even though he was out of breath. It had only taken him a minute to shunpo across all of Soul Society. It was the longest minute of his life. He had pushed himself further than he had before, trying to get here in time to save her. He needed her to live. It felt like a kind of, all consuming desperation, that seemed to rob him of all his senses, and his logic.

"Put her down here," Unohana commanded, as she rounded the corner.

He reluctantly let go of the limp, fragile body, gently placing her on the hospital bed. "Save her! Please…" He felt his desperation flare as he let go of her. He felt stupid, useless, responsible.

Unohana was surprised by the usually unshakable taichou's rattled countenance. Others now mobilised around Unohana, who had already begun weaving some complex healing spells. "Isane, help taichou. He's injured," she calmly commanded when Isane arrived.

"No!" He shouted, looking panicked. "I'm fine, its not my blood. It's hers. All of it," he said softly, almost to himself. He looked at his bloodstained hands, the liquid still warm between his fingers, soaked into his haori, making it cling to him, as she had.

There it was again, an empty, soulless desperation.

Isane let out a sob when she saw the girl. "Rien," she squeaked.

"Isane, pull yourself together and get some blood," Unohana sternly commanded. Isane was immediately off.

"How did this happen, taichou?" Unohana could see one 'through and through' wound and needed to know what caused it, and if there was anything else she should be aware of – poison, perhaps.

"Byakuya stabbed her with his zanpakuto." Unohana saw fists clench in rage. She knew she needed to contain the fall-out of this incident – she could not let him leave. She had never seen this murderous expression on his face before. She could see it expanding as he looked at the limp girl. His body, tall, strong, and ready to attack.

Ishida appeared, breathless, almost too weak to walk. His heart pounded in his ears. It had taken him a few minutes longer than Ukitake taichou to get there. He had never used his hirenkyaku so often, and across such large distances before.

"Hanatarou, help the Quincy," Unohana ordered as she glanced up.

"I'm fine," he insisted, as he stumbled towards Ukitake taichou. He didn't look fine to Unohana, but she had bigger things to worry about at the moment. "I'm not injured…its all her blood." He continued to gasp for air.

"Hanatarou, prepare the operating theatre." If Rien had lost this much blood, it was definitely serious. She would need more help than Unohana alone could give. Perhaps a team of fukutaichous would be enough to help her with what needed to be done.

Isane came back with two coolers filled with bags of blood. "Isane, put those in the operating theatre, and call every fukutaichou who has ever spent any time in the 4th squad, especially Hinamori and Kira."

"I'll get them," Ukitake offered, half leaping out the door already.

"No, I need you to stay here just in case she wakes up," Unohana lied. He did not protest – it was just as she suspected. Unohana noticed Jyuushiro's 1,87m frame looked taller than it had before, stronger, more imposing, more alive. Something had changed in him, but she could not waste her time thinking about it now, she had more pressing matters to attend to.

Unohana's assistants began wheeling Rien into the operating theatre. "Let me help," Ishida pleaded, not wanting to lose sight of Rien, to have to just sit by and wait.

"You do not posses the skills required Quincy. We will be using daemon magic to heal her wounds." Unohana did not have the patience to coddle their feelings when she had serious work to do, and a goal she was not sure she would attain.

* * *

Hinamori closed the exit wound eventually. Kira had, had no problem closing the thin entrance wound. _A straight clean cut_, he thought, _won't even leave a mark_. He praised himself as he put the finishing touches on the spell.

A multitude of small spells had to be performed before the real work could be done, and although they were not complex, they were tiring to sustain for the six hours which had already passed.

It was time. Unohana used a complex, high level, healing spell to create a spectral hand which phased through Rien's body, resting inside her chest, and holding the shredded pieces of her heart together while trying to heal the ripped petals. Then, Isane placed her hand on top of Kira's finished work, and tried to shock the heart. The heart was resistant, it did not want to beat. It took Isane a few tries to get the heart to beat on its own but, it still needed to be held together by the spectral hand. Matsumoto was tired, exhausted really, but, then again, they all were. Matsumoto had been controlling the girls pain levels all night, and it was now morning.

"Isane, take over from Matsumoto. You will need to maintain all the spells. I will relieve you in three hours. Call me if something changes – I need to rest." Unohana looked exhausted, as did they all, but there were only a few people in all of Soul Society who had enough skill to maintain the intricate lattice of daemon magic she had weaved, but Rien's condition was dire, and she did not trust anyone else to do her job.

Isane noticed the empty sound Rien's heart made. "I'll give her a few bags of blood now," she said with concern.

"Of course," Unohana said the words as though the idea were obvious enough to be assumed, and not needing her permission.

As Unohana and the others exited the operating wing, she saw Ukitake and the Quincy loitering in chairs, clogging up her hallway. She wondered how they had gotten her subordinates to let them this deep into her hospital. They eagerly rushed towards her, it had been 12 hours now. She supposed she should update them. "Calm down," was her only response to their barrage of questions.

"Rien is alive, and stable, for now. But, she's still in critical condition in the ICU, so neither of you can see her right now." They looked elated, and then a little defeated.

Now that they knew she was still alive, the already risen sun allowed sense to finally dawn on Ishida. He remembered Yoruichi and Urahara, and their likely frantic attempts to find Rien. "Rien, somehow locked Urahara's senkai last night, he must still be trying to get through to look for Rien," Ishida began, but Ukitake needed no other explanation, he yearned to be useful in some way.

"Call me if there is any change, I'll be back soon," Ukitake said before vanishing. It was far easier to lock a senkai, than to open a locked one, you would need to know the exact spell and position of the opening, and even then it would be difficult. He did not waste his time trying to figure it out. He shunpo'ed to his house, changed out of his blood stained clothes, so as not to shock Yoruichi, and opened his own senkai to fetch them. He brought them back to the hospital with barely any explanation, just a vague statement about Rien being hurt and in the hospital. All Ukitake could think of was getting back to _her_.

Yoruichi, Urahara, and Ichigo arrived at the hospital 10 minutes after Ukitake had originally left. The Shihouin clan had, by now, also been informed. Unohana was woken by the elders of the Shihouin clan. She hated when nobles stayed at her hospital – it was always the same. Ukitake taichou's frequent visits to the hospital were always taxing on Unohana's nerves. She would frequently be bombarded with requests by the Ukitake elders, that 'Jyuushiro get the best possible care' – as though he would receive anything else at her hospital.

"Did one of the armed guards carry out the execution orders?" Yoruichi finally asked, after being assured by Unohana that Rien was still alive.

"From what I understand, it was Kuchiki taichou that stabbed her through the heart," Unohana calmly replied.

"What?!" Yoruichi was enraged. "I'll kill him!" She shunpo'ed away without another word.

"I'd better stop her, before she actually _does_ kill him," Urahara reluctantly sighed.

"Why?" Ukitake's normally, soft, light voice, was dark and heavy. His words seemed to shock everyone in the room. But, Urahara understood, and was fighting the same thought, but, he left without delay.

"She tried to save me." Unohana heard Ukitake whisper. "She did save me. She saved Ishida, and now…she's saving Byakuya." Unohana wondered how this weak, powerless, fragile girl could have saved so many people. Why she would have even bothered trying, without any power.

"If I didn't think it would hurt her when she woke, I would have already killed him by now." Ukitakes voice was still dark and heavy. "As long as she's alive, he's safe – for now, anyway," he added as an afterthought, when Urahara returned with the fuming Yoruichi.

"Technically, he hasn't done anything illegal," Shunsui said, appearing out of nowhere. Ukitake gave his best friend a dark look. "Our standing orders were to kill her on sight," Shunsui defended. "Not that I'm saying that he was right, just that he was only following orders," he added, as he saw Jyuushiro's expression turn to fury. Jyuushiro was a dangerous man when he got mad, but, Shunsui had not seen him get mad in a few hundred years now – not for anything.

"Long time, no see, Kisuke," Shunsui greeted. "Nice to have you back. Glad you finally figured out how to get out of that gigai of yours," he chuckled.

"I've always known how to, I've just never had a good enough reason to do it until now…" Urahara sighed and squeezed Yoruichi around the shoulders.

"There's a Captain's meeting about the ryoka girl this afternoon. You should shower and change before then," Ukitake's friend warmly suggested to him. Jyuushiro had hastily thrown the bare minimum shinigami outfit on, and stood in crinkled clothes and no captain's haori. "And, behave yourself…I don't want to have to fight the Captain-Commander again." Shunsui sauntered off to flirt with a beautiful nurse. "You look different, Jyuu," he added, as he walked off.

"The captain's meeting must be about the Shihouin clan's petition to overturn Central 46's decision. They have been preparing their case all morning," Yoruichi offered, as she finally sat down, resigned. "You _do_ look different, Jyuushiro," Yoruichi noted, putting her head in her hands.

"Too well," Urahara added.

"You should be in bed after that coughing fit last night," Ishida added.

"You should get checked out, Ukitake taichou," Nanao suggested from the shadows where she had silently been reading her book. No one had noticed her arrive with Koryaku taichou.

One of the nurses who frequently fawned over Ukitake, had been listening to the conversation, and came to usher him away to be examined. Although he felt it unnecessary, at least he would still be near if anything changed with Rien. "Call me…" he added, as he was pushed into an examination room.

"I know, I know. I will," Ishida morosely replied, as he broodingly worried about Rien.

* * *

Jyuushiro returned that afternoon, after his captain's meeting, with Rukia and Renji. They could all see the weight of what Byakuya had done push down heavily on Rukia, but, she could not have forgiven herself if she stayed away. Renji also hung his head, as though he shared some part in Byakuya's actions. Renji held his arm around the silent Rukia, who leaned into him, barely able to look at Yoruichi, who still sat with her head in her hands.

"_Damn_ Captain-Commander, he didn't think Byakuya had done anything wrong!" The now showered, changed, and sparkling Ukitake, furiously paced and rambled.

"The petition?" Yoruichi asked, finally lifting her head from her hands.

"Captain-Commander said he will respect Central 46's decision when it is made but, for now he's put a hold on all orders concerning Rien." Ukitake continued to pace, the wind catching in his haori.

"Don't wear yourself out taichou." Kiyone worried about him often, and this situation seemed like too much stress for him. It seemed like Jyuushiro had picked up a few stragglers on his way back, Urahara thought.

"I'm fine," Jyuushiro replied.

"He is," Unohana said, as she walked back into the waiting room.

"How is she?" Urahara almost jumped at her.

"She is still stable," Unohana serenely said.

"I think she is getting a little stronger," Isane hopefully added. Unohana threw her a blank look, but everyone already looked encouraged by Isane's words.

"Is she awake?" Jyuushiro asked, hopefully.

"No," she flatly replied. "Her condition is still serious."

"Ukitake taichou…" Unohana began. "How are you feeling?" she cryptically asked.

"Fine," he thoughtlessly replied.

"Mmm…All the tests we conducted on you this morning say the same thing," she added, obviously going somewhere. "Absolutely nothing's wrong with you. Nothing." She gazed at him piercingly.

"Okay, but why are we out here talking about me, when I'm obviously fine, and she's not!" He said, with anger entering his voice.

"Because you're ill, Ukitake taichou," she replied.

"Fine, but _I'm_ not sick right now."

"No, you're not sick, at all," she corrected.

"What do you mean?" Urahara jumped in.

"Ukitake's illness, which I have been unable to cure, all these years, has mysteriously disappeared. I can't find a single trace of it. It's as though it were never there," she looked accusingly at Ukitake.

"No! S…She didn't…"Urahara began in disbelief. "She gave you the 'breath of life', didn't she?"

"I…I don't really remember. I just remember her kissing me, and it making me feel so much better," he admitted. Everything before her being stabbed was a whirlwind of incoherence for him.

"She said something to me at her party last night," Ishida began when he finished cringing. "Something about how I'd healed her hands the night before…"

Urahara turned his full attention to Ishida now. "Tell me exactly what she said to you," Urahara commanded. He was more serious than they had seen him in years.

"She said she hadn't figured it out yet, but it was something about 'a kiss freely given', and how it was going to help her with that project she had been working on." He sounded unsure as he spoke. "She was distracted at the party," he added. "But, it was worse later that night…" Ishida told them about everything, the dream, all of it …her waking up in his arms every morning for the last two weeks, her insistence that she knew she had to save Byakuya, and Byakuya's gigai that had sparked the flame.

"She was so sure he was in danger, that he had been in the real world, and that the Espada had somehow, concealed itself, followed him through the senkai and gotten into Soul Society. I couldn't get her to stop." Ishida looked broken and desperate.

"I'm sorry, Yoruichi," he added. "I tried to protect her, but…" In the end, she had protected him from Byakuya's senka. He was part of the reason she was fighting to stay alive right now, and the guilt way heavily upon him.

"She'll be fine," Yoruichi defiantly insisted. "And, when she wakes up, I'm sure she'll let me kill that Byakuya-bastard," she said, more in hope, than in belief, that Rien would actually let her do it.

* * *

It had been two weeks since Rien's hospitalisation but, she was still unconscious. At first it was touch and go, but Rien's body was stronger now. Her heart finally beat on its own today, no spells, no help, it just began to beat. But, she still did not wake. Someone was always beside her in her private hospital room, which the Shihouin elders had arranged. They would talk to her and tell her about what was happening in the world and Seireitei.

Ishida had thought that he would of at least seen a smile three days ago, when he told her the Shihouin clan's petition for the removal of all charges was accepted. They could hardly refuse a petition backed by four taichou's: Ukitake, Koryaku, Unohana, and Soi Fon (under suggestion from Yoruichi). But, there had been no smile, no change, no indication of life except her breath.

Her skin was still cold as her heart beat on its own today. Ishida held her hand within his to warm it. He thought nothing of the temperature, Rien always felt cold. Ukitake was in the room with him, looking out the window and describing the day to her. He also spent his every spare moment there, and had left Rukia and his third seats to do the bulk of the daily running of his 13th squad.

Ishida put her cold hands to his lips and breathed on them, to warm them.

"Byakuya," she smiled, her eyes still closed.

Ishida didn't care this time. She had said something, she was awake…only, she wasn't. She didn't respond to his voice. Ukitake summoned Unohana to check on her, but Rien remained unresponsive, and still unconscious. Unohana remarked that this was a promising sign, that Rien would probably awaken soon.

Rien breathed his name a few times that week, each time progressively sounding more like pain, like a nightmare from which she couldn't wake. Although Rien's body became stronger everyday, Unohana looked more worried as time passed

"You can take her home, if you'd like," Unohana gave into Yoruichi's pestering. She could not stand to have Yoruichi's constant bad mood contaminate her hospital any longer.

"Are you sure?" Yoruichi felt like she was being brushed off.

"Yes, her body is fine – thanks to all my, and the fukutaichou's, work. It's actually completely healed." Unohana could not make sense of the girl's exponential recovery this week. It had been three weeks since her injury now, and Unohana would have expected her to still be healing from the serious wound, but in this last week…she couldn't explain it.

"What do you mean her _body_ is fine?" Yoruichi had caught the inflection in Unohana's words, and was determined to be informed about all aspects of Rien's condition.

"Well, I'm just concerned that she hasn't woken up yet. With her body being fully healed, I would have expected her to wake up by now," Unohana acknowledged.

"Should I really take her home then?" Yoruichi wondered at the logic of Unohana's suggestion.

"Yes. Her body is healed, there is nothing I can really do for her. But, as a precaution, I would not suggest leaving Seireitei. If it makes you feel better, Isane has volunteered to go with Rien, just in case."

_Just in case what?_ Yoruichi wondered.

"Fine, I'll take her to the Shihouin manor." Yoruichi hated going to her previous home, knowing she would be poked, prodded and hounded, as the head of the Shihouin clan.

"Please inform the Shihouin elders that I place my utmost trust in Isane's abilities, and that I will personally check on Rien everyday." Unohana attempted to ward off some of the visits she knew she would get from the Shihouin elders. Unohana had a theory about what was happening with Rien, but she knew only time would allow her to test it out.

* * *

Rien had been in the Shihouin manor for four days now. For the past three weeks, Ishida and Urahara had been combing through his red box of research to figure out why Rien had not woken up yet.

Rien lay silently in her four post bed in her new room. Her every comfort was at hand, but she asked for nothing. Nothing except _him_, and that they could not give her. She hadn't said anything all week, not even his name. They were all becoming more worried with each passing day.

Ishida had even resorted to confiding in Inoue, and asked for her help in healing Rien. Although Inoue had tried numerous times, nothing really happened. Whatever was wrong with Rien, Inoue had been unable to reverse, even with her special power. Inoue felt helpless as she watched Ishida's agony and guilt increase daily. She tried to comfort him today, by talking about trivial things in an attempt to distract him, but Ishida was not in the mood for it today, so Inoue just kept silent and held his hand as they both kept vigil over Rien's silent, unconscious body.

Ishida yearned to hear Rien's lyrical voice again, even if all she did was call out for _him_. Rien had been silent for the past four days, and it had begun to drive Ishida mad with worry. Unohana's daily visits were of no help either, as the concerned look on her face deepened with every passing day.

"Just tell me," Ishida impatiently pressed Unohana about her worried look.

"I've told you everything I know Quincy," Unohana dryly replied.

"Then tell me the things you don't know. Tell me the things your guessing, tell me what the possibilities are." The intensity of his response jarred Unohana a little. She could see his desperate concern. She weighed up all her options before beginning.

"I can't be sure, but I think she's dying." Ishida staggered back in disbelief, and sat on the edge of the bed, his legs no longer willing to support his weight. It felt like he was suffocating with every breath, the increased intake of oxygen making him dizzy.

"How? Why?...Can't you do something?" He whispered.

"Her body is fine. Nothing is wrong with it, so, I can't do anything for her."

"Then how? Why is she dying if she's fine?" Suffocating desperation. Nothing was making sense anymore. He felt it was his fault. He should have protected her, he should have stopped her, been stronger, anticipated Byakuya's move. He should be the one lying in the bed, dying . _Not her, just not her!_

"I can't be sure," Unohana cryptically offered.

"Then guess!" he said with anger and irritation flaring in his voice.

"Because she doesn't want to live," Unohana calmly stated.

"Of course she does! She's healed, isn't she? Her body's working like it used to – of course she wants to live!" Ishida angrily protested.

"We are the ones who kept her alive, against all odds, even though her body was broken, we were the ones who did not give up on her. She is unique, there is no soul link chain to attach her soul to her body, but a body cannot exist without a soul. I can sense the quality of her soul diminish daily, her vitality slip away. But, there is nothing I can do about that."

"Her…soul?" his voice broke in the silent room.

"Do you know why I've never used that 'breath of life' spell, why it has such a high ranked level? It's not because it is difficult to perform, on the contrary, it's really very simple, even a child could perform it. It has another name, targeted at the user – its also called 'death's seduction', once all the ki is drained, if the user lives, death isolates them, and seduces them into giving up their '_spark of life_'" Could Unohana taichou be right? Ishida remembered the look in her eyes when she said goodbye to Byakuya, and pushed herself off of his sword. Perhaps a more noble and honourable man would have let Rien go, told her it was okay to give in and rest – but, Ishida could not afford to be that noble, he thought.

"What do you mean she's lost her life spark?" He calculatedly began. Hope was all he could cling to, to keep him sane at the moment. "Explain it to me," cold detachment crept into his voice.

"It's just a theory healers have had for millennia." _He wouldn't understand_, she thought.

"Well?" He said, determined.

"It's like she's let her soul seep into the darkness of death. She hasn't completely given in yet, but death is seducing her, with its emptiness, with its lack of pain. I can feel it when I'm with her – death is peaceful for her, it calls to her, isolates her in its nothingness. There is nothing in that darkness, just her, alone, no other soul to resonate with, no soul to cause friction with which to keep her flame burning, to ignite her _spark of life_." Unohana saw the Quincy furiously writing notes down. _How foolish_, she thought. _He's still struggling to save someone who doesn't want to be saved._

"How could one create this _spark of life_," he inquired, still absorbed in his note-taking.

"You can't _create_ the 'spark of life'. You are just born with the will to live." _Foolish boy_, she thought. "She has to want to live on her own. There really is nothing you can do," she sighed. She had wracked her brain thinking of a way, but had not been able to come up with anything, _he _certainly would not be able to find a way.

"What if she was given the 'breath of life' by someone?" Though he sounded tentative, his expression was determined.

"Don't be foolish! You know _you_ could never do it. It would not help her in any case – it is a healing spell, it would heal her body, but, nothing is wrong with her body," Unohana was angry that he would consider the dangerous spell after all she had told him all about it. "I'm going to tell Yoruichi-san my theory. Don't waste what little time you have left with her on foolish pursuits," she advised.

"How much time?" His voice was low and unreadable.

"At the rate she's fading, I'd guess about three days, at the most. But, none of this is science, Quincy. I could be wrong, and even if I am right about this, there is nothing that can be done." And with that, she left him to his despair.

* * *

It had been three days. Ishida had tirelessly searched for a solution but, just as he thought he may have happened upon an answer, it had failed miserably, at both attempts. Ishida had thought he and Urahara had found a possible solution in his red box of research. They had found some fragments of research about 'a kiss freely given' and the 'spark of life', but nothing substantial, nothing coherent. If it could be given away in a kiss, surely it could be ignited in one.

Since Rien seemed to have an attachment to him, he had tried, a few times, but it had failed. He had tried to heal her with his kiss as he had unwittingly once done, but it had had no effect. He had told Ukitake taichou his theory – since Rien had given him almost all her ki, maybe he would have success in giving some back to her, in reaching her in that nothingness. Although initially reluctant, Ukitake agreed eventually, wishing with all his heart that she would live, that he would not be the cause of her demise. Ukitake's kiss had had no effect on her either. She just lay there, lifelessly breathing.

Urahara argued that it worked on the principle that she would let someone enter her inner world, like the world of zanpakutos, that deep part of each of their souls that let then draw strength in times of turmoil. It is the first part of a soul to form, where a zanpakuto is born with their shinigami, the spark of life…two halves of a soul resonating to create life. He was not sure if the spell could be reversed, considering she had no zanpakuto, and they were not sure exactly _what_ she was, but she was able to use daemon magic, and it was their best guess, and only option. But, it taken them the whole of her last day to figure out why it may have failed. Ishida felt like he was clutching at straws, but it was all they had. Rien had no more time, this was her last hour.

* * *

**Author's Note**

I'm sorry about this chapter. I know there is a lot of dialogue, and I could have described it more, but I wasn't really interested in that. I know that this was a long, primarily story advancing chapter, and I hope it wasn't too bad. I know that there is more story than writing in this chapter, but I hope that the next two chapters will make up for that.

Did you like the ambiguity at the beginning? Tell the truth – who did you think carried Rien to the hospital?


	16. In Breath and Shadow

**Supernova**

By Willow Athena

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach or any of its characters, but Rien and this story are definitely mine

**Author's note:** This chapter is for all those who love him...you know who you are!

* * *

**Chapter 16**** – In Breath and Shadow**

Byakuya arrived. Against his better judgement, he had agreed to meet Ukitake taichou at the Shihouin manor. He could only think of one reason why Ukitake would not leave this place and meet him somewhere more appropriate. He pushed the thought out of his mind as soon as it had entered. He had become adept at that – not thinking about her.

Ukitake had requested that he shunpo to his location upon arriving. He found it odd that there were no guards walking around, it looked like this portion of the estate had been deserted. This aroused Byakuya's curiosity but, he pushed that too aside – why should he care. Had it been any other taichou except his former sensei, he would of refused the meeting outright. But, he owed him a great deal, and respected his noble and honourable former sensei.

Byakuya gauged Ukitake's reiatsu and determined his location. He was not far, on the third floor of the building a short distance away. He shunpo'ed to the entrance to the room.

"Come in," Ukitake said, perhaps a little too coldly, considering what he would ask from Byakuya. Byakuya walked through the open door, and was surprised to find the Quincy had also been invited to the meeting. Ukitake continued to look out the west window of the room, contemplating how the beauty of the setting sun paled in comparison to his previous vantage point.

The Quincy's presence displeased Byakuya greatly. This was a farce of a meeting, he thought. "What is this about? I have other business to attend to," he dismissively said, looking at the Quincy leaning against the post of a large bed in the middle of the room.

"All I ask is that you listen and think about what we have to say to you," Ukitake implored, turning towards his former student. "Ishida," he stated, as though it were a command for a rehearsed performance to begin. Byakuya was intrigued enough to entertain the request, but was increasingly irked by the Quincy's involvement.

"I think we can all agree that we all played some part in Rien's current condition," Ishida coldly began, the glare of the sun hitting his glasses, making his eyes unreadable. Byakuya did not care for this topic, and the Quincy was not going to induce him to discuss a topic that was as dead to him as its victim. _No, she's not a victim_, he thought. He had done nothing wrong, she had broken the law, and was punished for it, as ordered!

Byakuya turned to leave – this had been an immense waste of time. The Quincy was lucky he had not killed him that night but, he would not be that lucky again. Miracles were in short supply, after all.

"Byakuya!" Ukitake commanded. Byakuya had stopped. He hadn't meant to, but it was like a reflex, a conditioned response to this voice. He had not heard Ukitake speak this way in a long time. As he turned, he saw the desperate anger in Ukitake's face. "All I'm asking right now, is that you listen." His words were distinct and clear.

"The only reason Rien came to soul society was to save you," Ishida continued his rehearsed performance.

Byakuya's expression clearly read, _As though I would ever need to be saved_.

"She thought you were in danger, she had no thought past that. There was an unquenchable desperation in her to do whatever she could, even if it meant putting herself in your place."

One eyebrow slightly cocked in Ishida's direction, _But, you're the one she saved_, his expression clearly read.

"I know she saved me, she saved Ukitake taichou…"

"She saved you too, Byakuya," Ukitake darkly added. Byakuya 'hmped' doubtfully at the suggestion.

"She's going to die in a few moments," Ukitake added, as Ishida moved, allowing Byakuya full view of the small unconscious girl silently lying on the bed.

"She asked for you a few times last week, but I knew you wouldn't come, so…" Ishida added.

Byakuya was shocked that they would try to pull this stunt. What purpose could it have – to make him feel guilt? It didn't really matter what they were saying, what was happening around him. He felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. As he looked at her inconsequential small body lying there, he remembered being at Hisana's bedside as she died and he helplessly watched. He would not endure this again, he would not sit by and watch her die.

Ishida continued, his talking was a jumble of complex thoughts which Byakuya could not comprehend. He didn't care to know about theories and research now.

He would not stay to watch her die. He could not stay. He vowed he would kill them for this another day, but right now, he had to leave. Byakuya was not used to this feeling, his desperate need to flee. He attempted to maintain control of his expression, which he knew had already betrayed him to them. He didn't care that _she_ was going to die, it was just the situation, he kept telling himself. "You both will pay dearly for this," he vowed, rage filling his usually flat voice.

He turned to leave, but Ukitake had anticipated him, and now stood in the way of his exit. "Byakuya! Don't you understand, there's a small chance you can save her," Ukitake almost pleaded.

"Why should it matter to me? I don't care about her fate." His cool silver eyes took a dark turn.

"You bastard!" Ishida yelled from behind him.

"That's fine. But Byakuya, if you don't at least try to save her, I promise, it will be I who finds you," Ukitake promised, in his most calm tone. "If there was a chance I could have saved the woman you loved, I would have at least tried. I'm not asking for certainty, all I ask is that you try," he added, sounding more compassionate, knowing what this was probably doing to his former student.

"Please Byakuya," Ishida pleaded from behind him.

Byakuya had been affected by Ukitake's words. When Hisana had been ill, his former sensei had tried everything in his power to help Byakuya find a cure for her. Ukitake had searched endlessly for a cure – so Byakyau would not have to leave her side. He had cashed in countless favours, and had even tried to help him find Rukia for Hisana, before she died. But, this theory about theirs, about a kiss, it was truly ridiculous, bound to fail – leaving him holding the girl as she died, just as he had with Hisana. It was a fools errand, and he was no fool.

As he found himself contemplating helping them, he shook the idea out of his mind. How could someone be given the 'spark of life'? Why would they think she would let him of all people into her inner world, he was after all, the cause of all her current suffering. _No_ _more_, he thought. It would never work. As the thoughts visibly crossed his face, Ukitake turned to leave and Ishida followed.

"Where do you think you're going?" Byakuya snapped. The situation had unsettled him. He could no longer trust that he would not simply kill them all where they stood.

"We'll come back in an hour," Ukitake evenly replied.

"You're going to leave her here to die? Alone?!" A hint of distaste crept into Byakuya's voice.

"Well, she's not alone, now is she, Byakuya? We are all born alone, why should death be any different," Ukitake replied with a hard, determined look colouring his serene features.

"I won't do it! I won't stay!" Byakuya voice was cold steel.

"You _have_ to try or else…" Ishida desperately threatened.

"No Ishida!" Ukitake corrected. "It has to be a kiss _freely_ given, or it won't work!" Ukitake looked at Byakuya, who stood encased in frozen rage, in the middle of the room. "He has to want to kiss her…" Both were fixated on Byakuya now. "…and not just because he wants to save her life, but because if the rest of the world didn't exist, she would be worthy of one, small, insignificant kiss from him." Ukitake had chosen his word carefully.

"She doesn't have much longer, think about it." Ukitake pressured the frozen Byakuya. He and Ishida disappeared in that moment, leaving the room to gestate in its silence.

Byakuya took a moment to compose himself, then headed for the door. This was ridiculous, they had obviously both been driven mad by grief, but he would still not forgive them for doing this to him.

As he reached the door, he froze. He couldn't understand it at first – why his legs would not move, but, it slowly dawned on him. He just couldn't leave her to die. Alone. Even though he didn't care for her, he could not leave her. Ukitake had known this, and Byakuya cursed him for it.

Byakuya paced the room for ten minutes, pushing away all the thoughts flooding his mind. He had hoped that they would return, so he could leave but, by now, he had realised that they were not coming back. He wondered if Yoruichi knew, if she had helped them orchestrate this perfect snare for him. Of course she knew, he thought.

He slowly made his way towards the bed, to see if the reports of her imminent death were serious. She looked perfectly healthy to him. She was fine, peaceful even – not struggling to live as Hisana had. Then he remembered Ishida's words, "She's given up, she doesn't want to live anymore." The thought hurt Byakuya, for a reason he did not want to contemplate.

He wanted her to live. It was such an irrational thought, considering she meant nothing to him – why should he care. He at least did not want her to die – that was reasonable, wasn't it? He was not as cold, heartless and disengaged as others thought him to be. He could care about another soul without it being more than that.

It was just concern.

Half an hour had passed. They really weren't coming back, he decided. He had spent the time hovering near where she lay, attempting to detect any change. _If only she had some reiatsu, I could tell how she was doing_, he thought, idly edging closer to the bed.

He would never admit it out loud, but now that he looked at her up close, he found her breathtaking. They had dressed her beautifully today, he thought. The expensive white windflower silk of the kimono was contrasted beautifully by her golden skin and long black hair. He remembered the smell of her hair, and how it had taken him days of long showers to get the lingering strawberry scent off of his body. He thought about the subtle contrasting lavender scent of her skin, only noticeable when kissing her.

He began to feel hot. The excessively hot day had been taking its toll on him – he hated the heat. He berated himself for letting his mind wonder to thoughts he had long since banished from his consciousness. He took off his gloves and scarf, and placed them on the distant corner of the large bed. He was frustrated, he didn't feel like controlling it, there would be no one left to remember it anyway. Her silence annoyed him. It had been 45 minutes since he had been held captive, she would in theory, die soon. He wished it was over already. He wanted to move on – forget. He did NOT want to be here, but, he could not tear himself away.

He noticed her previously full red lips begin to turn blue, and he rushed to her side. He held her hand, as he had with Hisana. Inwardly he cursed his fate. But, he would stay here with her, he would hold her hand, she would know she was not alone when she died.

He sat on the edge of the bed, next to her hand, using both his hands, he tenderly encased her right hand. He noticed how small her hands looked within his, and how cold they felt. It would not be long now.

The red silk trim of the kimono's inner garment looked beautiful against her neck. Her skin looked soft, vulnerable, fragile. He could already smell the faint strawberry of her now. He wondered if the subtle lavender scent of her skin would persist after death. The thought suddenly stabbed him.

_She's dying._

Adrenalin surged through his body. His heart began to race. He felt an unfamiliar panic rise in him. He didn't want her to die. He hadn't meant for _her_ to get hurt that day. He had hated her intensely before, he had thought about killing her everytime some girl would giggle at him because of the scandal. She had injured his pride, his noble status, she had all but shattered the public image he projected for Seireitei. He had every reason to hate her, to want her dead.

"Don't die," he whispered as he laced his right hand in her raven hair, to support her head. She still lay silent, motionless and cold. He placed his left hand between her shoulder blades, and pulled her limp body up to his. She felt so light in his arms, like air. His forehead was against hers. As he opened his eyes, he saw her left hand begin to disappear, disintegrating, one tiny blue particle of light at a time.

He felt his heart begin to tear, and his volatile emotions resurface. "Don't…leave…me," he whispered against her lips. He placed his now burning lips to hers and drowned in the lavender scent of her skin.

It was a desperate, yearning kiss. Her lips were cold and motionless, but were easily parted by his. Byakuya opened his eyes. There had been no response from her, no lingering kiss back. He watched as more of her left arm began to disappear, cursing his foolish belief, that ounce of hope that he had placed in the Quincy's words at this last second. There really was no hope, no saving her.

"Rien," he pleaded, his lips still touching hers. It had burnt a hole in his heart to say it, especially now. He pressed his lips against hers with urgency, then abandon. Hoping all the while that she would not disappear beneath his touch.

* * *

**Author's Note**

I just wanted to warn people that updates may be slower from now on, cause I will be starting work soon, and cause I have become obsessed with Final Fantasy, and have written a story for that (actually written two, but I'm only posting one for now) – if anyone wants to check it out, that would be awesome. Don't worry, I have not given up on this story. This is still my primary story, I'm just fooling around with FF VII for fun…its really nothing compared to the magnitude of this story, just like short writing exercises.

I could be mean, and leave you in suspense at this moment…

But, you know I'm not, so "Happy New Year", and go to the next chapter.


	17. Heaven and Hell

**Supernova**

By Willow Athena

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach or any of its characters, but Rien and this story are definitely mine

**Author's note:** I kinda wrote sort of a poem for this story. I wasn't sure if I should publish it separately or not, or try to fit it in somewhere. I decided to put it in the story, it's called **Languishing**, and I'll indicated where in the story I have put it cause it has a different metre than the rest of the story (obviously, considering it's a poem). I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

**Chapter 17**** – Heaven and Hell**

The darkness was peaceful. There was no pain, no anguish. Rien had been at peace. She laboured away, trying to get her soul to abandon its lingering affection for life. _This is better_, she thought. _The nothingness, it's peaceful_. She felt weightless in this place, light.

She felt her soul finally give in to the peace. She felt rested, finally free. Pale white lightening struck her weightless form. It was hot, like electricity pulsing through her whole body. She pushed it back somehow, resisted its pull. Where did it want to take her? She did not want to leave. Rien felt confused for the first time in weeks. The lightening, though hot, did not hurt, it felt more like a warm, safe, comforting glow.

There were renewed sparks of the lightening as it called her name. She knew its voice. Then, another arc of the lightening hit her, harder, and more intense than she had expected. She wondered if this happy feeling was the heaven she had read about – her paradise, her happily ever after. She allowed the lightening to pull her weightless body towards its joyful source.

She had been content with the darkness, the nothingness. She had never expected heaven, but she would not ponder her invitation, just joyfully accept it.

* * *

(**Languishing **- poem)

She was delicate and deadly. Perhaps just dead. Intertwined in his scarlet thread, the tension taut, about to snap, fling her away. Discarded without care, like an unwanted gift that repulsed him. The electricity between them charging the static of the air, threatening to destroy any soul between. Moving closer, a shifting polarity – inevitable …

_Repulsion__._

Her every movement already dictated by his every breath. Her heart – no, HIS…turned to fragile crystal by disuse. Shattered upon impact. She longed to be rid of any affection for him. She longed to be driven by nothing. She longed for him.

She was entangled in love. Was it really love? Perhaps it was hate. She hated his every perfection, the way it taunted her, the way it sucked her in…how afraid she was to taint the perfect silver of his skin with her blood.

He could not hurt her anymore. Not in this place. His love like a black hole, taking but never giving. She was safe here. Without him – a searing, aching pain worse than death. Perhaps it was hell. Heaven and hell were useless concepts, everywhere was hell without him. Hell…it was easier than life without him.

_Resignation._

His attack, inconsequential compared to his defense. Encasing, suffocating loneliness – a lethal parasite draining life from the living. She had welcomed the blade, dull in comparison to her need for him. A muted after-image of pain.

In these delusions, she was alive, with him, always…why did the torture hold such fascination, such vitality for her. She was dead after all. Finally free of the shackles he placed on her. She had hurt herself trying to break free of him. But, there was no pain in death, just nothingness.

_Relief._

A lingering affection for life. She could not forget him, could not leave…he quickened her. Blue blood racing crimson, rushing towards him, and away from her. He pulled her close to him, from the brink of destruction.

_Resistance._

It was futile. Futile to resist something she wanted. More than life. More than death. Nothing more than perfection. Nothing more than him. Giving in. To her.

* * *

His lips were unmistakeable. They were perfect copies of the real ones. Soft, wet heat claimed her in an eternal kiss. Was this her heaven? To have him hold her close and lovingly kiss her for all eternity? This was all she had ever wanted in life – for them to love eachother. _How ironic_, she thought, that she should attain it in death.

Her heaven was beautiful, and she would never leave its perfection.

Her lips slowly became responsive beneath his, and she was surprised by the stiff ache of the movement. She felt his eyelashes brush her cheek, like a butterflies wings. She opened her eyes to find him gazing at her with emotion-filled eyes as they kissed. He let his eyes slide shut once more, as his right hand secured her against his urgency.

His left arm on her back, crushed her willing body against his chest. Rien felt her body become warmer, felt his heart beat faster, and lingered in the smooth chocolate taste of his tongue. She wondered at the reality of it all, the crispness of her senses. She yearned to touch him, to feel his silver skin against the gold of her hands, but, her limbs felt heavy, and difficult to move. She finally managed to lift her right hand to his silken neck. His skin felt soft, hot, and real. She could not contain her enthusiasm for the perfection of this paradise.

She ran her hand up his bare neck to his jaw. It felt like static electricity, as the feeling pulsed through her body, as she touched him. Her breath came in wild gasps as she held him closer to her with all the force she could muster, unwilling to relinquish the kiss and deepening it still.

Her skin burnt, her lips were on fire, her heart pounded in her ears, her lungs ached for air, and for the first time – she truly felt alive.

_How ironic_.

* * *

His despair turned to hope at her sudden response. Her lips now willingly parted to welcome his kiss. He opened his eyes to see her arm materialise again, and then, her soft, liquid eyes staring back at him lovingly. He closed his eyes, vowing he would keep her here, with him, that he would not let her go back into the darkness he had felt.

How could he have convinced himself that he did not care, that she did not matter to him. She felt so familiar to him, like a piece of himself he never knew was missing until she was there and he felt whole. Only to rip the piece out himself, out of fear, out of weakness. He felt himself become whole once more, in this moment with her. It would kill him now – if she died – she would take him with her, as it should be. He would not be left alone again, incomplete and inconsolable. He had never felt complete before this moment, not until he had given in, to what he did not know, but he also didn't care – for once.

As he intensified his kiss, he felt her respond with a similar need fuelling both their movements. The strawberry taste of her on his tongue was intoxicating, and caused him to relinquish control. The tingling sensation from her cashmere touch made his heart race. He had never before been touched by such tender softness. His heart yearned to feel more of her tenderness, desperately wanting to fully experience the love her kiss hinted at. A love that belonged to him alone. She was his, he could feel it – feel her body ignite beneath his, her hand tangle in the length of his hair.

He wanted her.

His heart raced, and pounded at the door to his chest. He gently lay her down on the bed and shifted his position to match. His hair, as wilful as ever, cascaded over the kenseikan, like a veil over them both, shielding them from the external world. He caressed her velvet cheek with, his now free, right hand as he kissed her. She let out a soft moan of pleasure and his heart inwardly triumphed. He kissed her more deeply now, memorising what she liked, what she enjoyed, all the while becoming more intoxicated by her taste and the lavender scent of her skin. She moaned within his kiss once more.

He felt the air rush past his own lips as she gasped.

He pulled away from her, only managing to retreat to the empty space next to her. He lay breathless on the pillow, relishing the extra air filling his lungs, clearing his head, and allowing him to concentrate and control himself. He had not realised that he had lost so much control, that he had been doing it until then – he had released about a quarter of reiatsu. _It must have been suffocating her_, he thought, as he listened to her quiet gasps for air. Though his breathing was laboured, her need for air was significantly more urgent.

What was he thinking? Perhaps he wasn't thinking at all. He inhaled deeply, to try to hold all his reiatsu back in but, her strawberry-lavender infusion was distracting. As soon as he was able, he sat up.

What had he been thinking? He knew better, he berated himself. He finally managed to successfully hold all his reiatsu back in. Her breathing had, by now, become far easier. He could not bare to look at her, fearing she would shatter his resolve. He was _happy_ she was alive but, this could never happen again – he didn't even know how he had let it happen this once.

What was he thinking!

He had long since forgotten about the intensity of emotions that could cause him to lose control, but he could never lose control like this again. It was dangerous, the people he cared about would get hurt. He remembered the volatile emotions he had had to lock away, along with his childish exuberance for life. He remembered the way the force of his uncontrolled reiatsu had evoked fear in his classmates, had caused his father to force him to control it, the years of training it had taken to seal his true force away. He shuddered to think of what it would do to her if he lost control, let even a petal touch her. He could not trust himself with her, and because of that, she was dangerous.

He cut himself off from his emotions once more…_he_ was in control.

He stood up, not looking back at her. She was too fragile, too breakable to even be in his presence.

_No more_, he promised himself, yet again.

He knew that others would be there soon – the hour was almost up. He knew he looked a little dishevelled, that he had not mastered his composure yet. He would not wait for them to arrive, to see him like this, to question him. He had no answers, just lips that burned with her taste, and that, they would already know.

He shunpo'ed to his office for his spare change of clothes – no one should see him looking like this. As he showered the strawberry scent of her from his body, he wondered why she had not tried to stop him from leaving. But, it was a useless thought, like many he had had that day and so, he shook it out of his long wet hair.

* * *

Air rushed in with a wild gasp as he pulled away from her. She wanted to stop him, to hold him to her forever, but her hands were still heavy and would not obey her commands. She found her mind's need for air amusing, considering she was dead, but it felt so good filling her lungs. Her body felt so real, as had his – it was mind boggling.

She heard Byakuya breathing heavily next to her, jaw clenched in concentration, she wanted to reach out and touch him, to relax him, but her arms would not obey, like dead weight pinning her. She felt drained, as if she had no energy, and wondered why her muscles were so sluggish to respond.

The perfection of her heaven was something to be marvelled at, not questioned.

He suddenly got up and left. Her body would not respond, her voice stuck in her throat – she had no time to stop him. Why had he left her? A sickening feeling began to rise in the pit of her stomach, a heavy weight on her chest, a sneaking suspicion…_hell_, perhaps? Was this her punishment for the pain she had caused others in life – to have him constantly ripped away from her. Like a band aid, he had clung to her, and then slowly, torturously, removed himself from her.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Phew…Who knew one kiss could take up a whole chapter – LOL. Did I mention how hot I think he is? If not…_Yum_. Love him, love him, love him…was that out loud? Remember to check out my FF VII story if you like.

Please review if you liked these chapters, or even if you didn't. Let me know if I'm doing something right, or if I should change anything. Any good ideas are always welcome. This is my favourite chapter that I have published so far, let me know if you guys have any favourites.

I hope you guys liked the poem. And yes, I am a review whore, but, I do find them excessively encouraging and helpful…so please continue.


	18. Midnight

**Supernova**

By Willow Athena

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach or any of its characters, but Rien and this story are definitely mine

**Author's note:** Many readers have been PMing me about when I'm gonna update, and why its been so long…its ONLY been a month, and like I said – New job, and studies etc, just give me some time to adjust to the work load. When I was on holiday, I used to update at least one chapter every two days, BUT I'm so not on holiday anymore. I will try to update once every two weeks, and sometimes more than one chapter at a time.

Stop worrying guys, I do LOVE this story, above all my other stories…those are more like one-shots anyway. I'm doing them to improve my writing before I get to more awesomeness in this story. I hope the improvement in my writing shows – you be the judge…wrote chapter 17 and both my Final Fantasy stories at the same time at the end of last year, I think it really helped me to make that chapter good.

I hope you like this one.

* * *

**Chapter 18**** – Midnight**

Ishida and Jyuushiro ran into the room a few moments later. They were shocked and overjoyed to see her big blue eyes looking back at them. They were both speechless at first, but then Ishida just melted onto her and held her tight. She felt the same, he thought, stealthily trying to ascertain her pulse. They told her about how worried they had been, and the whole situation with Byakuya, and how he had obviously saved her.

She began to cry. It was a deep, intense, echoing cry that rippled through them both. Her tears gushed like a limitless hot spring down her beautiful face. Ishida hypothesised that she must be in some sort of pain, and began to check her vital signs and body for damage. Her heavy limbs still refused to willingly move, to hold him to her, to gain some comfort from his warmth, his affection.

"She's just in shock," Ukitake assured him. Ishida let go, trusting the taichou's judgement.

"I'll call Yoruichi-san and the others," Ishida brightly offered, not realising he would have to pelt through the sudden rain to do it. A weight had been lifted off of his shoulders – his plan had worked! She was alive – and he wasn't the reason she died! Although this was not the only reason for his relief – his guilt about being saved by her because he let his guard down that night. It had become a crushing heavy weight that he bore with great difficulty and silence – self-loathing, self-pity, and any other negative, self-doubting emotion one could imagine, had plagued him since that night. But now he felt lighter, with every breath she took, he felt lighter – more like himself.

"It's going to be ok, Rien." Jyuushiro brushed a tear form her cheek. They were alone now. Her tears slowly turned into silent sobs. He knew she had thought she was dead, in heaven perhaps – he had had similar thoughts after waking up from long bouts of his illness.

"He'll come back," he tried to comfort her, knowing what she wanted to hear, though he wasn't sure how true his words were – he just did not want to watch her cry any longer, and he would have given anything to be able to make her happy again. "Don't worry so much – you don't want to make Yoruichi sad do you?" he smiled warmly at her. Resigned that Byakuya, who didn't even want to play, had won this round. _How typical of him_, Jyuushiro thought.

He got up to close the open window from the rain, but she grabbed his hand, looking pleadingly into his eyes. He sat back down next to her.

"Jyuu…" she said, before throwing her arms around his neck and resting her head in his long hair.

He felt her enchant his heart, weave her little fingers around his hair and ensnare him forever. He knew he would never leave her now, he could feel it. And, although he realised how she was affecting him, he was powerless to stop it – he didn't want to stop it – he wanted to belong to her forever.

He hugged her back in defeat, breathing the strawberry scent of her hair in.

* * *

Though they had known Yoruichi for hundreds of years, none of them had ever seen her cry, but, when she saw Rien sitting up in bed, she began to wail as she flung herself at the girl. Yoruichi, Kisuke, Ishida, Ichigo, and Inoue were all overjoyed that Rien was awake – alive! The elders of the Shihouin Clan were also soon in her room, hugging her and making plans for celebrations and charitable donations to the poor, and prayers to God for sparing her.

Rein could not join in their elation. The harsh reality of the waking world was still settling in on her – her only tie to sanity was Jyuushiro. Even though she saw his discomfort at the breaking of etiquette, and his willingness to '_leave her to celebrate with her family_', she would not hear of it, would not let go of his hand. So, Jyuushiro stood there next to the bed, as she held his hand through all the congratulations and half-hugs. Ishida would have been jealous at Ukitake's sudden elevated postion, but he was too busy comforting Inoue's joyful, teary outbursts. Ishida could see Ukitake's unease, but he could not find it in his heart to feel sorry for him.

"Maybe I could come back later and check on you, when all your relatives have worn themselves out," he warmly beamed at Rien.

"Please…Jyuu…shiro," she managed to get out, though it seared her throat to speak. Her voice was still lyrical, but sounded deeper, untuned due to unuse. Looking at her pleading face, and how she was about to open her mouth to explain her reason – he pushed her chin up with his free right hand, stopping her intended, but obviously painful speech.

"Fine, I won't go. But, at least let me get you some hot tea for your throat. Come to think of it, you must be famished – I know for a fact that vitamins fed through an IV doesn't really satisfy any hunger." Ukitake knew everything about being sick, he had been sick all his life, but thanks to Rien somehow, he would never be sick again. He felt immeasurable gratitude to her and immense guilt at the same time. That crushing, suffocating guilt felt different now that she was awake, it felt…_wrong_.

"I'll get the tea," Ichigo offered.

"No, I'll do it," Yoruichi squabbled. "And, I'll arrange for some dinner for us all – it _is_ my house after all. I don't know about you guys, but I feel like I've barely eaten for a month," she beamed, in her obviously good mood.

"Here?" Rien spoke for the third time, this time with a smile, even though the effort had cost her.

"Of course. I don't see any reason why we can't eat here." Yoruichi smiled through her fatigued-filled face. She understood Rien didn't want to be alone. Some the Elders burning incense and muttering prayers in the room began to protest, Yoruichi silenced them and led them all out.

"Rien!" Renji had shunpo'ed to the middle of the crowded room, a little out of breath. "You're okay…I thought…" he added. "When I smelled you on…I thought he'd – you're okay?"

"Is he okay? Is something wrong with him? Did he send you?" Rien began to cough uncontrollably due to the sharp stabbing pain. She had hoped that Byakuya had sent Renji, that he himself would come soon.

"He doesn't know I'm here. I thought he might have hurt you." Renji eyes were downcast. "He seemed fine – he just looked a little _strange_." Renji noticed Byakuya's scarf and gloves lying on one of the bed's corners – he could not fathom what that might mean.

Rien had known it since the moment he left, since the moment she had understood why he had kissed her – that he would not be coming back. She did not want to believe it at first, but it was slowly becoming undeniable. She had stopped coughing, but her heart continued to ache. She wanted to scream out from the pain, but she didn't want to alarm anyone, so she held it in and smiled.

"Ooh, Free-loader-san, I see you're here just in time for dinner," Urahara joked as he walked in with a tray of hot tea. Renji blushed a little at the suggestion.

Jyuushiro tried to let go of Rien's hand to pour her some tea, but she would not let him go; her sudden strength surprised him. Kisuke noticed Jyuushiro's defeat. "I hope you can learn to eat with one hand," Kisuke joked while pouring Rien's tea himself.

Everyone sat down for an extremely talkative dinner. Jyuushiro attempted to look nonchalant while he ate, as Rien continued to hold his hand. It was extremely fortunate that he was ambidextrous, he thought. Rien however, was not. Jyuushiro saw her struggle to hold the chopsticks in her left hand and sighed. "Guess my fine motor control hasn't returned yet," she attempted to justify her clumsiness with the utensils.

"You're right handed," Jyuushiro softly stated, with an expression which clearly communicated '_let go of my hand and eat_'. Rien recognised his meaning, she knew she was being selfish by holding him hostage. She let go of his hand and sighed, too softly for anyone but him to hear.

Jyuushiro had not expected it – his heart sank as she let go of his hand. Her soft sigh made him feel empty. He watched her pretend to eat, but all she now did was push her food around. Her right hand was still a bit clumsy, but capable enough, however, she looked as though she no longer possessed any enthusiasm for the meal. Jyuushiro was unsure of what to do, he could see her new pain, but there were so many other people in the room. He decided he would just wait until he found a moment alone with her to comfort her.

To Jyuushiro, it felt like an eternity before they all left, but in reality it was just over an hour. As everyone got up to leave and wish her a good night, assuring her that they would be back the next day, Jyuushior also got up to leave, but she did not stop him as he had expected her to. Everyone had left, no one had noticed his still lingering presence. He went up to her and took her hand once more – it felt so cold.

If you really want me to stay, I will. I just thought…that it would probably be better if you tried things on your own." He spoke in his most concerned voice.

"No, you're right. I'm on my own, and its about time I face up to that and stop hurting other people with my weakness." He voice was distant and empty now, but sounded less painful.

"That's not what I meant…" Jyuushiro began, cursing his earlier choice of words.

"I know – but, I can see that being here with me hurts you, and I won't do it anymore." She sounded determined.

"It doesn't hurt me to…"

"You're lying," she confidently stated, cutting his lie off.

"Its just _confusing_," Jyuushiro corrected, not wanting to get into any more detail than that right now.

"I feel it too Jyuu – it _is_ confusing." She softly sighed turning on her side, away form his concerned expression. "Maybe I'll see you tomorrow," she offered as an out for him to leave, as he had wanted to all night. An affirmative 'Mm' was all he could muster as his reluctant, sluggish steps, led him to the door and away.

* * *

Yoruichi found Rien asleep at 8 the next morning, and thought it best to leave her to rest, but at 1pm when she hadn't yet woken, Yoruichi began to worry. The truth was that Rien hadn't slept all night – she had not trusted herself to sleep, not until fatigue claimed her at 6am that morning. Rien had been terrified all night that if she fell asleep, she might wake up in a bed that was not her own – and with him so close now, she could not chance that disastrous outcome.

"Rien? Rien…Rieeeen" Yoruichi called softly, and then began to gently, and then vigorously shake the sleeping girl.

"I'm awake – I'm awake! Stop shaking me!" Although it slipped her notice, she sounded so much better this morning.

"Inoue, Rukia! She's awake now – you can come in," Yoruichi bellowed. They both scampered in. Rukia looked so happy – she began to cry and quickly turned away to wipe her tears.

"Nice to see you too, Rukia-chan," Rien smiled, pushing away the long tendrils of black hair that had been strangling her as she slept. Fatigue had claimed her so stealthily that morning that she hadn't even changed out of her clothes – her unused pyjamas had been neatly hung up by a maid.

"Hai. You look well." Rukia's voice was filled with restrained emotion.

"I know how much you like baths, perhaps a long hot bath would do you good before lunch. Rukia, Inoue, why don't you help her downstairs to the hot springs," Yoruichi suggested. "I'll bring you some new clothes, I've made them especially for you…well, okay, Ishida made them, but I designed them," she beamed excitedly.

Rien slowly stood up out of the bed, and found herself to be surprisingly steady…that was of course until she tried to walk.

"Wow! You look beautiful." Inoue gaped at the long, white silken kimono as Rien stood next to the bed.

"I hadn't noticed it yesterday, but you're right – it _is_ beautiful," Rien noted.

"No, I mean, I don't think anyone could look as beautiful in it as you do." Inoue and Rukia both came close to touch the silk of the kimono.

"Of course not – it was made especially for her, for her birthday yesterday," Yoruichi added off-handedly. Rien had lost all sense of time, had it really been one year since she appeared in Soul Society? Yoruichi knew Rien hated her calling the day her birthday, but Rien also refused to choose a birthday, so Yoruichi felt she had no choice in the matter.

"It has platinum threaded embroidery outlining silver cherry blossom trees. It took 6months to harvest this much of the rare windflower silk, and 3 months of non-stop work to complete the details," Yoruichi boasted as she looked at her beautiful sister standing in the breathtaking kimono.

"It must be expensive," Rukia mused.

"It's priceless – the master tailor wept after he completed it and retired. Rien was supposed to wear it to her coronation ceremony, where she would be inducted as a princess of the Shihouin Clan…but, since we weren't sure if she was going to make it, I wanted her to at least wear it yesterday." Yoruichi's eyes began to tear, but she held her tears back. "Don't be too long, you have lots of visitors waiting to see you. Don't worry, I'll be subjected to them as well."

As Rien took her first step forward, she stumbled, but Rukia and Inoue caught her. "Lack of use I guess!" she smiled. "Just don't go telling Byakuya or Ishida about this," she smiled to them both, though it seared her heart to say his name.

The walking got easier as Inoue and Rukia helped her to the hot springs and she worked her unused muscles. As Rukia helped her get out of her delicate kimono, she noticed a familiar smell to the kimono, but she pushed the thought away. Both Rukia and Inoue heard about the gravity of the wound, but were surprised to find no scars, and no hair on Rien's entire body. _Must be why she so cold all the time_, Rukia thought. _No insulation_.

The hot springs was very soothing, and Rein emerged feeling much, much better than when she had gotten in. Yoruichi stood, holding Rien's new clothes and smiling broadly. "It's an all-purpose training outfit," she boasted. Rien put the long sleeved, cleavage bearing, black dress on, zipped it up as far as possible – which was just below her C-cup breasts. It made her look over to Inoue's large voluptuous breasts and wish hers were as big.

"We're lucky there's no scar," Yoruichi smiled, pulling Rien out of her momentary envy. Since Yoruichi knew Rien hated wearing clothes as much as she did, she had designed the dress to zip from below her breasts down to her hips in a v-like shape, but the dress was unsecured down the middle and also had slits down front, sides and the back. A cool wind blew the light fabric of the dress, and the parting breeze exposed her long bare legs beneath.

"I know we both don't like wearing clothes, but this is ridiculous." Rien could not guess why Yoruichi thought she would be able to wear this dress in public.

"You can wear it with these tights, if you really want to. Come put your socks on quickly." Yoruichi shoved a pair of durable, smooth matt-red tights and calf high semi-heeled black boots. The red tights matched the blood-red lining of the dress, visible only when the wind blew. The boots were comfortable, and not too high to walk in; but, Rien was still concerned with the propriety of the cleavage.

"I can see how well suited this outfit might be for training , but…" Rien flexibly, and without constriction from the dress, extended her leg into the air.

"Here." Yoruichi thrust a long, heavy looking red coat in her direction. "Ishida thought you might object, so he made you a red coat to go on top…He said you'd be cold anyway." She coughed, "And Kisuke got you these black fingerless gloves – he said they were special, but that you'd figure it out." The gloves were as soft as silk, but seemed more sturdy, they went half-way between her hand and her elbow, and only had a back part of the hand, ending in a 'V' with a finger loop. Rein placed the loops over her third fingers and carefully pulled her sleeves of her dress back over the length of the gloves. She noticed that they felt secure, but could feel nothing special beyond that.

The red coat also had a plunging neckline, and only slightly covered more of her cleavage. Though her black dress was layered with slits, it was light, but this coat had a heavier feeling – obviously not to be used when training. The embroidery on the coat was of traditional silver cherry blossoms, as well as black hell-butterflies on the blood-red of the silky fabric. The coat's press-studs buttoned form her hips to just below her breasts, exposing the beauty of the dress below it. "You're lucky Inoue, Ishida is a very talented man." Inoue pretended she didn't understand Rien's words, but could not stop her body from blushing.

"Its beautiful. Thank you," she said to them all. Rien felt overwhelmed by its beauty, as though it symbolised how much they cared about her. Gifts were an odd thing to receive, and she hadn't yet gotten used to it.

* * *

It was an almost endless day of nameless, faceless, visitors for Rien. Although, she had hoped that she could have dodged one group of over enthusiastic visitors in particular. Some of the Kuchiki Clan's Elders came to pay their respects to her and the Shihouin clan, and invite them, and her in particular, to a dinner at the Kuchiki estate on Friday.

"It will be a celebration in Shihouin Rien's honour. It would honour the Kuchiki House if you would attend," and old man had said to her, though she obviously had no authority to accept or reject the offer.

"It would be our pleasure to attend this celebration at the Kuchiki estate on Friday," one of the Shihouin elders had answered on behalf of Rien. Rien had by this time in the day, established that this was the protocol, and that she really had no say in any of the matters addressed to her – she was a Shihouin princess, and not the head of the family like Yoruichi was. Rien's opinion meant little if anything in these noble struggles.

The tension between the Kuchiki Elders and the Shihouin Elders was substantial enough to cut with a zanpakuto. After the Kuchiki Elders' departure, it became apparent to Rien that these two noble houses had been at war for dominance for centuries, and that Byakuya stabbing her through the heart, was just an excuse in a long line of excuses to ignite the rivalry between the two noble houses. Although the Kuchiki Clan, at the moment, seemed more powerful, the Shihouin Clan's control of the military and a division of the Gotei 13, would be a threat to that status quo if war broke out between the two clans.

Without any tutoring, Rien immediately grasped the importance of the dinner four days away. She knew she would have to attempt to quell this destructive tide. But, after the long day, all Rien could think of was lying alone in her room, silently, until morning when she knew she would trust herself to fall asleep.

* * *

She had to get her sluggish muscles back into working shape again. It had been three days of training in the afternoons, and staying up all night. This night was no different. Her lunchtimes had become filled with the bureaucracy of nobility – where she was required to sit-in on Clan meetings, in which she would not be allowed to express an opinion, even if she had one – which she didn't, not about that anyway. She usually spent these times trying to not to think of the impending dinner and his undoubted presence at it. She also attempted not to think of how close to her room he would venture every night, on what Yoruichi called 'his infamous midnight strolls'. It was such a distraction to feel his reiatsu move near her at night – as though she wasn't having a difficult enough time falling asleep. She tried not to think of him at all, and in so doing, thought about him constantly.

Tonight she would wait for him.

_It couldn't be helped_, she told herself. He needed his scarf and gloves back before tomorrow. She was surprised he hadn't sent someone to collect them, and wondered at the sight he cast without his trademark items. Had anyone noticed, or said anything to him? _Doubtful_. No one ever questions his actions, regardless of how strange or divergent they may seem. But how could he possibly explain leaving them with her? He had probably thought it better to lose the items than have to admit to someone that he had forgotten them, and why.

Rein waited for his reiatsu to get close, anxiety building in her, heart racing with his approach, with her anticipation. She vowed to herself that it meant nothing, that she was just returning his things – that's how _he_ would see it, right? She was tired of reading more into innocent things – a gaze that did not meet hers, a touch that was meaningless to him, a need to not let her die. That was all the kiss was – it was just him being human, compassionate – not the affection she had mistakenly read into their kiss. She was mistaken about him, she had tried to ram the thought into her head – but somehow, she could not bring herself to believe it.

When she felt him near, she ventured out, she knew where he would stop. He hadn't noticed her approach - and then, she was beside him. Though she knew he was surprised, he did not betray it. She stayed a safe arms length away from him, afraid that she would give in to her foolish desires and touch him. She drank the sight of him in – plainly dressed, in just the basic shinigami uniform, hair lacking the kenseikan, looking as disinterested and as beautiful as ever in the pale moonlight.

Though the night was still, she felt so cold standing next to him. She should have worn her red coat, she thought regretfully – not that it would have helped this type of cold. She could hardly force herself to breathe, to inhale enough air to speak.

She held out her hand with the gift bag – it was a pale blue with a butterfly print on it. He did not look at her, and continued his downcast stare into the mirror-like surface of the water-lily strewn pond. She knew he had seen the gesture. She let the bag drop. He caught it without turning, a mere reflex for him – a reflex he hadn't been able to stop at the time, or was it his curiosity that had gotten the better of him. He held the bag at his side, inwardly aching to peer inside at her gift, but resisting this temptation that would reveal more than he was willing to.

"It's your gloves and scarf – I thought you'd want them back." He couldn't have cared less about the items, though the scarf was admittedly a family heirloom. He wished she hadn't come, hadn't bothered him, hadn't worn that excessively distracting dress. There was no scar, he noticed with a peripheral glance, and would of blushed if he allowed himself to linger, but he had more control than that. She sounded different to him, thoughtful perhaps.

It was an odd meeting, he thought, she had been strangely silent. Byakuya had expected at least two declarations of love by now – he had thought her foolish enough to attempt this. But, she had barely looked at him, barely played her lyrical melody for him. He wanted to leave, but a part of him struggled to stay. Conflict raged within him as he stood, stealthily studying her reflection in the still pond.

"Thank you…for everything." She tried to be noble, to keep her traitor emotions out of her voice, but some had escaped. "I'm grateful for all you've done. If you should ever need anything…"Byakuya turned to look at her, as if he wanted to say something – but then he thought better of it, she guessed. "The kiss will be our secret, if that's what you want. I promise I won't tell anyone the truth." Rien let out a sigh.

_And what exactly is 'the truth'_, Byakuya's expression read volumes.

"That you care," she whispered it on the smallest of winds as she turned. "Goodnight, Kuchiki-taichou." Her tone had changed completely in these words, became distant, as she walked away form him. He didn't know what to make of it, this change in her – had she finally adhered to his advice and given up on loving him? He didn't know how to feel about this, it was what he had wanted, he should have felt satisfied, happy even, but, all he felt was…_nothing_. He could feel nothing…Nothing but that kiss that haunted him.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

I hope everyone liked it. I'm not sure if I'm happy with this chapter, that's why I've been withholding it, but I decided to just let it go, and you can be the judge.

The next chapter…the one I have really been slaving away at, is called _Noble_, and its about the dinner at the Kuchiki estate. I know everyone will love that one, and I hope this chapter was not too slow, but it had to be done. That chapter should be up in two weeks, at the latest: 1) 'cause it's my mom's birthday this week…and those celebrations will be consuming my attention this weekend and; 2) because the next chapter is really long and I want to get everything just right.

I hope this chapter tides my wonderful reviewers over 'til the next one. _Please R&R_

**Please check my PROFILE page for information on updates etc.**


	19. Noble

**Supernova**

By Willow Athena

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach or any of its characters, but Rien and this story are definitely mine

**Author's note:** This is a valentine's day gift for all my readers, and especially my fabulous reviewers. I was so swamped at work, I could barely get a chance to eat, or breathe, but your support has meant so much to me that I could not delay or disappoint you – like I said, I keep my word…Here is a chapter I loved writing, and I hope you love reading.

* * *

**Chapter 19 – Noble**

The next day was madness in the Shihouin house, as teams of people attempted to get both Rien and Yoruichi ready for the Kuchiki dinner. Yoruichi wore a beautiful dark purple and white kimono, with an orchid design, and had all her hair pinned up, because she was to represent the Shihouin Clan as its head tonight. Yoruichi hated it, and whined and pulled at the excessively expensive grips restraining her wild purple hair.

Rien wore a dark blue kimono with silver cherry blossom embroidery and a silver waistband. A few pieces of Rien's hair were pulled back from her face, and some placed in a little bun with diamond encrusted black chopsticks to hold the hair in place. Most of Rien's long hair was left to flow over her shoulders, differentiating her as the younger Shihouin princess and not the head of the Clan. Rien's bangs were as uncooperative as always, and fell defiantly, partially obscuring her right eye – eventually, the Elder just gave up on them and let them fall and rest on her right cheek. Rien knew that all eyes would be on her, as the 'special guest'; and the Shihouin Elders tutored her in matters of etiquette and protocol – _what it meant to be noble_.

Rien didn't feel very noble, and in truth, didn't think about herself in that way at all. She was just happy to belong to a family, Yoruichi's family. But, she realised that rights, came with vast responsibilities. The Shihouin Clan had done so much for her, and they did not ask very much in return, so she decided, for their benefit, she would project this façade of nobility that they prioritised to be so important, more important than the truth – _she was not noble_, not truly, not by birth, anyway.

It was a long, boring day, while people prodded and poked her. She had never worn make-up before, but she enjoyed the taste of the strawberry lip-gloss. Looking at herself in the mirror, she could hardly recognise herself; the subtle rosiness of her cheeks, the soft, red, liquid quality of her lips. However, she thought the smoky effect of the eyeliner made her already large blue eyes look…smouldering.

"Don't worry – you look good," Ishida said from the doorway.

"Good!? She looks fantastic," Renji corrected, with a mouthful of tea-time muffins. Renji had been spending an extraordinary amount of time with her this week, almost shadowing her, but she did not question his company – she would rather have him with her than most other people. Perhaps he was just worried, but she got the impression he was fishing for information about her _awakening_. But that, she had promised to keep a secret.

"Forgive him Renji – he can't look at other girls like that when he has a girlfriend," Rien smugly stated, still viewing their reflections in the mirror.

"Girlfriend? What girlfriend? Who?" Renji inquisitive inquired from both of them. Inwardly cursing Ishida for getting a girlfriend before him, even though there is only one person he would consider.

"How did you know?" Ishida didn't even attempt to deny it.

"It's hard for two people in love to really hide it – if you know what to look for," Rien cryptically began. She had noticed an attraction, perhaps just an affection between them previously, but now, she was sure.

"Who?" Renji blindly insisted.

"Inoue, of course – who else?" Rien added.

"Wow, she's beautiful!" Renji clapped Ishida hard on the back in congratulations, making the slighter man lurch forward a little.

"She's more than just beautiful." Ishida sighed, knowing before he began that Renji would be a lost cause on this point. Inoue was far more intelligent than she appeared; she was also kind, and generous, and caring, and loving…

"How was the first kiss?" Rien inquired, turning her innocent eyes on him.

"Um…" Ishida blushed, the question startling him and snapping him out of his reverie.

"Better than ours, right?" Rien added, knowing the answer already. She was ecstatic that he was happy, with someone who cared about him – but, she couldn't resist inducing a blush from him.

"No…it was just _different_." Ishida turned even more red. Rien enjoyed the colour on him, it made him look so alive, so happy. She was tired of being the source of pain for him, and so many others – she vowed that she would not do it again.

"See, I knew all you had to do was be open to the right person. She looks like she makes you happy – without all the pain. Hold onto her, Ishida-kun." Although Rien's words sounded happy, the was a deep sadness mixed in with them.

"Hey! When did _you-two_ kiss?!" Renji demanded, shocked.

* * *

All the guests seemed to be filing in through the side doors of the hall. There looked like a lot more guests than Rein had expected for a dinner. Surely, dinner, meant a few people eating for an hour or two, not the collection of spectators she witnessed filing in through the doors. Yoruichi took Rien down a separate corridor.

"It looks like the Kuchiki Elders are going to milk this for all its worth. They have invited our clan, as well as some of the other noble and lesser noble houses. Don't be scared, but the hall is full," Yoruichi calmly stated, but it didn't stop anxiety from beginning to rise in Rien. "There's Hitsugaya. I think they must have invited some of the Captains as well – only looks like some came though."

Yoruichi led Rien to a small sheltered alcove, in front of which stood two double doors. "Since you're the special guest, you'll have to enter through these doors. I'm gonna go now." Yoruichi put her hands on both Rien's shoulders. "Don't worry about any of it, you look beautiful." Though Rien's 165cm frame was slightly taller than Yoruichi's, Rien always felt shorter, younger, protected.

"Hai," Rien softly stated, since it was all she was able to choke out at that moment. Desperately wanting to hold on to Yoruichi, but deciding against it.

"Wait here until Byakuya comes to escort you in. You both will be announced and enter, and then he will lead you to your seat, okay." Yoruichi hastily left, but, she had lost Rien after she said Byakuya's name. Rien had know he would be present, but she expected that he would ignore her, and that she would barely get a glimpse of him.

Rien's first instinct was to run, but she pushed it aside, shook her hands loosely at her sides and took deep breaths for a few moments. Byakuya appeared next to her, as though he had been watching her whole panic-filled performance, and waited until she was relatively composed to reveal himself. Although he displayed no amusement in his expression, his eyes betrayed him.

There it was! Her increased heart rate pumping her delectable scent to him, it wafted through the air and consumed all his senses, bringing the memory of her taste to the forefront of his mind. If ever a scent could inspire love, it was hers. He had waited for himself to gain enough control, to withstand the memory without blushing, without giving himself away. When he had judged it to be relatively safe, that he would not act on his almost uncontrollable instinct to possess her, he had stepped forward, hopefully looking as composed as he always did, although he himself could not be sure of the reflection he cast.

He offered his strong, beautiful, naked hand, palm up, in front of her.

Panic rose in her, threatening to engulf her. He continued to look straight ahead, waiting for her to take it. She had not counted on having to touch him, she wasn't sure she'd be able to control her traitor emotions. She gave up on trying to hide her nervousness. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in – it didn't help that his unforgettable scent filled her lungs. She opened her eyes, stared straight ahead, and gently placed her hand in his. _Noble_, she thought, just be noble, just for a little while, just until she was alone.

"Are you ready to proceed?" his disinterested melody resonated next to her. He continued to stare straight ahead, neither chancing even the slightest glance in the other's direction. But her eyes were greedy for the sight of him, and registered every detail of his perfection in her peripheral vision. He looked beautiful, as always, not in his usual Shinigami uniform, but a long open white coat, and pale blue robes beneath, just like his uniform, but looking far more expensive, far softer to the touch…She distracted herself from that thought. The pale blue softened his cool silver eyes, making them look like quicksilver.

_I can't think of him in this way, not again, not anymore. I won't hurt him! Never again_.

"Yes, thank you." Rien's voice sounded detached.

He nodded to the doorman who opened the big double doors. They continued to stand still. His hand gently closed its grasp on hers as he held their hands between them and took a step forward into the entrance.

"Presenting, Kuchiki Byakuya-sama, the 28th head of the Kuchiki Clan and Captain of the 6th squad. And…Shihouin Rien, princess to the Shihouin Clan," the short doorman bellowed loudly to the packed hall of guests – who audibly, all took a deep intake of breath as Byakuya and Rien stood in the entrance.

Byakuya squeezed her hand, obviously indicating that she should begin walking, as he did not want to drag her behind him. He found her surprisingly responsive to the gesture – she squeezed his hand and began to glide slowly forward.

It was obvious that they would head to the table at the front, on the raised platform. Rien attempted to adhere to her earlier tutoring, and simply blankly stare forward as Byakuya did. But, in her peripheral vision, she saw the whispers and some girls giggle, while others gave her death stares.

_Was it really prudent to stoke the embers of that fire_, she wondered. But, she knew that the Kuchiki Clan would do anything to put out the searing fire cause by Byakuya stabbing her through the heart. And she knew that tonight, they would try to quash that fire without any regard for its shooting off embers – which themselves may consume her. She would need to remain on her guard.

The walk down the long isle felt like it took forever. Byakuya matched Rien's pace, being cognisant that the restricting kimono would not allow her to walk with any freedom. Rien felt her knees begin to turn to jelly as they neared the end. She was not sure how much longer she would be able to endure the pulsating electricity surging from his hand and dissipating throughout her body. She had been afraid of this most of all – his touch.

As they got to the five stairs which elevated the platform, on which their final destination perched, Rien looked doubtfully up at them. She had been able to retain an incredible amount of dignity until now – enough to even fool Byakuya, she hoped. But, each stair had to be taken one at a time, and she reluctantly placed some of her weight on his hand to balance. She was surprised by the attentiveness of his response, as though he had been expecting it. She could have gotten up the stair unassisted, had she used her other hand and to lift the kimono up slightly, but she had judged that as perhaps a less visually dignified method, and decided to rather betray herself to him alone. A servant held out a seat near the middle of the table. Byakuya led her to it, and waited for her to sit down.

The movement surprised Rien. He bent down and gently, affectionately, ever so softly, kissed the back of her hand before letting it go. She realised the insignificance of the gesture for him, that he was probably expected to do it, but she could not stop her body from reacting. He heart raced, her vision blurred , and she struggled to keep the impassive noble expression on her face. She noticed nothing and no one.

When Rien finally regained her senses, some Kuchiki Elder was droning on about her beauty, and what an honour it was and so forth. She hadn't noticed Byakuya sitting next to her until now. This was not helping her composure, at all. She pinched her lower arm to attempt to get her body to focus. It didn't help.

_He doesn't care about you. He doesn't care about you._ She repeated the phrase to stop her vivid imagination from running wild, from reading far too much into, what was arguably, nothing. They were both just trapped next to eachother, that was all.

She felt a hand claim hers under the draped tablecloth. She turned slightly towards it. She hadn't noticed before, but Jyuushiro sat to her left. A warm calm washed over her, and she resisted the impulse to reach out and touch his beautiful face. Of course he would be there – he was a captain after all. Why had she not noticed him before? In fact, she hadn't noticed anyone else at the table until now.

Yoruichi sat on Byakuya's right, as Rien sat on his left. On the left hand side of the table, was a line of about six captains, who had bothered to come, including Mayuri. On the right, was Rukia, as well as the oldest Kuchiki and Shihouin Elders. Rien hadn't ever given Mayuri a second thought until now, but, now that she allowed herself to dwell on it – she felt an undeniable need to hurt him.

"Are you not well?" Byakuya impassively whispered, without anyone else noticing.

"Fine. Just curbing my need to hurt Mayuri," Rien whispered back, quickly.

"It is impolite to call a captain by his name," Byakuya suggested.

"I think I can remain on a first name basis with the people who have seen me naked," she snapped back at Byakuya before she could control her tone.

Jyuushiro's warm hand was extremely secure and soothing, and his absent minded stroking pulled her back form her flight-or-fight response to Mayuri. And, this time, it would definitely be _fight_ instead of _flight_. She hadn't seen the captain in days, but Jyuushiro's touch was an understanding one, and made her feel safe, cared for, loved.

* * *

Rien just uninterestedly picked at the first few courses of the meal. Consumed with thoughts of Mayuri and his close proximity, having to restrain herself from attacking him in the crowded room.

"Why have you been eating with your left hand all night, Ukitake?" Koryaku taichou inquired, while sitting next to his best friend. He saw the panicked, 'caught' look cross Ukitake's face before he wiped it clear, and he knew he had hit on something.

"I _am_ ambidextrous, Shunsui," Jyuushiro attempted to laugh it off.

"But I know you prefer your right," Shunsui insisted.

"What are you…Have you met, Rien?" Jyuushiro stumbled on his words. "Rien." She turned to him, beaming warmly, affectionately. Shunsui continued to give Jyuushiro a quizzical look.

"Yes, Jyuu…um…Ukitake taichou?" Rien caught herself, remembering Byakuya's earlier words. Shunsui smiled broadly.

"Has _he_ also seen you naked," Byakuya sarcastically whispered to only her. It was beneath him, and he knew it. He could not understand what had possessed him to do it, it was such a petty, insignificant thing to do – why should he care who had seen her naked? The possessive intent that motivated his words surprised him. He knew he had always been extremely possessive, but she was not his, and he didn't know when he had come to think of her as such – but it had to stop. Rien did not respond, she had decided that she would not be baited by him – he didn't really care about anything but the etiquette of it, she thought, and she couldn't have cared less about that.

"I'd like you to meet, Koryaku Shunsui, captain of the 8th squad," Ukitake formally introduced the captain in the pink haori.

"I'm also your best friend," he smiled at Ukitake, his green eyes gleaming with affection.

"It is an honour to meet Ukitake taichou's best friend." Rien attempted to remain formal as the elders of both houses eyed her every move. Shunsui leaned over Ukitake, and caused Rien to stifle a soft giggle as she was startled back a little, accidentally brushing the back of Byakuya's hand. They both ignored the insignificance of the movement, the touch, barely worthy a second thought, or a single word, though it had caused both their bodies to stiffen at once.

"I can see why _everyone_ adores you – you're breath-taking." Shunsui smiled with an eyebrow raised in Ukitake's direction.

"You are most kind, Koryaku taichou, but I am nothing special." Rien softly stated, her eyes downcast, not having fully recovered from Byakuya's touch.

"No, you _are_ extraordinarily beautiful, princess," one of the female Kuchiki elders began.

"And extremely talented as well. We have been hoping that she will one day take over as head of the military, as it is supposed to be," an old Shihouin elder croaked, from the end of the table.

"No. I won't be taking over the military." Her voice had no doubt in it, it was commanding and certain. The whole table was now in silence. "Soi Fon-san's skill far exceeds mine at the moment, and it _is_ as it should be, she is apart of our family and the head of the military. I fully trust in her capabilities." The elders were still in awe of her words. Until now, she had been silent, complaint, demur – they blamed it all on Yoruichi's influence, and immediately began to have nightmares of a repeat experience of Yoruichi's upbringing.

"Rien-sama, I am humbled by your confidence in me." Soi Fon, almost in tears, smiled at her. She vowed to protect her with her life now.

"She's right, she is young," one of the Kuchiki elders began. Rien hadn't said anything of the sort, and she didn't like where this was going. Rien could see the dusty, rusty cogs turn in all the elders' heads, as she sat helpless.

"Yes, yes…she needs to unleash the full potential of her talent before she can become a taichou," a Shihouin elder continued where the elder form the opposing clan had left off. _So, it's captain now_, Rien thought, amusement filling her hidden expression.

"She would need training for that – private training, of course," a Kuchiki elder picked up the ball.

"Yoruichi-san and Urahara-san are wonderful teachers, and I am sure my skills will mature in their care," Rien offered, trying to derail wherever this train was going. She felt like they were planning her life at the dinner table, but she had no say. Rien did not miss the distasteful look in the Shihouin elders as she said Urahara's name.

"Nobility can only be taught by nobility," a Shihouin elder authoritatively stated.

"We agree," a Kuchiki elder backed the sentiment.

"Ukitake taichou, you helped Kuchiki Byakuya in his early training, would you consider training Rien as well?" a Shihouin elder peered in Jyuushiro's direction.

Ukitake sat, mouth agape, chopsticks tentatively hovering above his food. At first he had thought he had imagined it, but they all continued to look in his direction. "Um…," he cleared his throat.

"Of course Ukitake will do it," Shunsui clapped him hard on the back to snap him out of it. "Ukitake loves to teach!"

"That's wonderful! You honour us," the elder beamed at the still shocked Ukitake.

"But…if I could suggest one, small, possible amendment…" a Kuchiki elder began. Come to think of it, Rien noticed all the Kuchiki elders' unhappy faces. "Byakuya is the best zanpakuto user in all of Seireitei, not to mention his tactical knowledge – I'm sure he could assist Rien in calling out her zanpakuto; without one, she can't even join a squad, or the shinigami academy," the Kuchiki elder offered, hopefully, obviously having created this entire line conversation to get to this point.

Panic rose in Rien once more. She would not be able to maintain this noble façade if she had to see him for daily training. Not everyday…with him. _I would slip, hurt him for sure_. _He doesn't want me, not like I want him. Just because he cares enough not to want me dead, doesn't mean he wants any more. It was my imagination, when we kissed, I thought he…but, it was just me – reading far too much into nothing. I can't do this, not everyday, not with him so close._

"I would be happy to accept Ukitake taichou's offer if he is sure I will not be a nuisance to him," Rien squeezed Jyuushiro's hand under the table. _Please say yes_, she thought, _save me from hurting him again_.

"You will always be welcome at my home." He smiled, still unsure about the matter. But he could not deny her pleading expression, or the fact that he wanted her around him – in whatever capacity fate saw fit to allow.

"Why would we let Byakuya-sama train Rien?! He would be just as likely to stab her through the heart with the zanpakuto as train her with it." An older, more senile looking Shihouin elder stirred the pot, causing mummers of agreement to ripple through many of the other Shihouin elders as well. Rien saw Byakuya's jaw clench ever so slightly, an his grip on his chopsticks, unconsciously, tighten.

"Kuchiki taichou did his duty – he carried out the orders of Seireitei. Is that not all we can ask of a captain." Rien defended him and simultaneously quashed the civil war that had been brewing over the past month. "I would be honoured if Kuchiki taichou would train me in the use of a zanpakuto…as long as I would not be a burden to him, and cause him to neglect his other duties." Rien looked at him searchingly, almost apologetically, although she, like him, had little control over this situation.

"I am at your disposal, princess." The cold steel of his eyes would have made anyone shrink back, but she felt tempered to it now. I mean, he couldn't do anything worse to her, right?

They both knew that this was the only way to stop this civil war from breaking out. Neither of them relished the idea, but for vastly different reasons. Or, were their reasons really so different?

* * *

By the time main course arrived, Rien was too distracted to eat. But with all eyes on her, she decided to take a bite of the spit-roasted Kobei beef, and roast potatoes – which was the main-main course of their meal, she was told. Rien reluctantly let go of Jyuushiro's hand, realising they'd both need two hands to eat this meal. Everyone was waiting for her to take a bite before they began with their own meals. As she reluctantly cut off a piece and bit into it, the rich flavour melted into her mouth.

"This is amazing…it's truly delicious!" she enthusiastically stated. "Yoruichi, why don't you ever let me have food like this at home? Its been boiled _this_ and steamed _that_ all week!" Rien beamed, across Byakuya, to Yoruichi.

"It's just until you regain your strength, then you can go back to eating whatever you like," Yoruichi said, slightly invading Byakuya's personal space.

Rien's bottom lip stuck out a little, forming the most enticing pout. Byakuya cursed having to sit next to her. Everything about this evening had irked him, tested his control, his composure. He had never thought her capable of it before, but she had been noble and dignified, for most of the evening. He had hoped she would prove herself a simpleton so he could allow himself to forget her. But, she had turned out to be intelligent and insightful, about a variety of things. As though the feel of her body had not been enough of a distraction to him, she now displayed this perfect, enticing pout. He felt it call to him, as though her red liquid lips would turn to water beneath his. He tried to distract himself – think of anything but her. However, all the could think about was how beautiful her golden skin looked against the dark blue kimono, and what an exquisite present she would be to unwrap…

_NO!_

"The Kobei beef is Byakuya sama's favourite as well. If you really like it, we will send a supply to the Shihouin manor," a friendly looking Kuchiki elder offered. She smiled warmly at Rien, the only real smile Rien had gotten form the group.

Rien's pout instantly disappeared at this offer. Byakuya felt a relief he could not explain course through his body. "But…I suppose, I couldn't possibly accept such a generous offer, and deprive Kuchiki taichou of his favourite meal," Rien said, after having thought about it, and her pout returned. Byakuya felt taunted by it.

"Please accept it as my gift for your coronation next week," Byakuya quickly added so she would stop torturing him with the perfection of her lips.

* * *

Jyuushiro couldn't help but smile at Rien's pout. He found it irresistible. "Hmm…you've got it bad, don't you?" Shunsui whispered to Jyuushiro.

"Got what?" Jyuushiro whispered back, with no idea of what his best friend was referring to.

"You have feelings for our little ryoka, here," Shunsui teasingly whispered.

"Don't be ridiculous, she's just a child!" Jyuushiro sternly whispered, a gentle crease forming between his brow.

Rien leaned in close, whispering in his ear, "This look suits you – its adorable," she gently chimed. She had almost touched the gentle crease of his brow, but then, reigned herself in at the last minute, realising she probably shouldn't be whispering to men around the table, even if it was Jyuushiro. She quickly pulled herself away from him, and returned to 'not talking to Byakuya'.

Her cool breath had danced across his skin, and he knew he had not controlled his expression enough to fool Shunsui – who now looked at him , knowingly, with one eyebrow cocked.

"Besides the fact that I'm far too old for her, I'm her teacher now – thanks to you," Jyuushiro defeatedly whispered.

"She's not a child, Jyuu. She looks about 21, and anyway, students grow up, they never stay students forever," Shunsui whispered, putting a hand on Ukitake's shoulders.

"I'm almost a thousand years older than her."

"But that translates to about 30 human years – and DON'T say that's old! I look at least 37 human years," Shunsui gently chuckled.

"You can see she has feelings for _him_, can't you?" Jyuushiro looked defeated as he pushed his Kobei beef around.

"So what! I can see she has feelings for you too, and you know it!" Shunsui whispered in frustration.

"She doesn't feel about me, the way she feels about him. And, even though Byakuya would never admit it…he feels connected to her."

"Jyuu, I've seen women persistently chase you, throw themselves at you, and though you have had relationships in the past, I've never once seen you this preoccupied about a girl…I've never seen you this happy at someone's touch. Don't just give her away without fighting. People grow up, feelings change, and from the way she looked at you just now, I think you have as good a chance as him." Shunsui looked deep into Jyuushiro's eyes, trying to assure his friend of a love that he so desperately wanted, but would not allow himself.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Hope you guys liked it, and that it was worth the wait. Do you guys think Bya has anything to worry about with Jyuu around? Training with Bya…in the next chapter – I haven't given that chapter a title yet. So yeah, update will be in three weeks…'cause I'm really swamped at work, and it's my birthday at the end of the month.

Getting ready to go out tonight, for Valentines Day awesomeness with my bf and a group of friends. Have a love-filled Valentines everyone. Thanks a lot for reading my story.

This story had gotten over a thousand hits a long time ago, but I didn't say anything, 'cause I didn't know I was supposed to. So Yay!!! But I would love more reviews. I appreciate all the people who favourite me or the story, but I would really appreciate input and encouragement in the form of a review. I think one of the best compliments I had gotten, about my writing, was when a reviewer said something protective about my OC, because then I knew I had really done something right.

Please Review, who knows, I may become so energised by them that I may update sooner. Thanks guys.

~Willow~


	20. Torn

**Supernova**

By Willow Athena

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach or any of its characters, but Rien and this story are definitely mine

**Author's note:**I know, I know…I'm weeks, and weeks late with this update. I'm really sorry. My internet has been down, and I have been having problems with my laptop, as well as excavating myself from under a pile of work while inflicted with the flu. There is little more I can say about the all too common mishap of life, but I am sure you all know and understand…but if anyone wants me to walk the plank for keeping you in suspense, then I will 'shiver me timbers' and embark on that mission.

* * *

**Chapter 20 – Torn**

"Are you excited about beginning training with Jyuushiro this morning," Yoruichi beamed at breakfast. The weekend had flown by surprisingly fast. Everyone had gone home, except Yoruichi, and Rien could hardly believe that it was Monday morning.

"Hai." Though Rien attempted to conceal it, Yoruichi knew where her mind had gone.

"I'm grateful that you said you'd do it, but if training with Byakuya is too much for you to handle, then we will have to think of another plan." Yoruichi had praised Rein's quick decision at the Kuchiki dinner. She had known how important it was for keeping the peace, but she also knew how difficult it would be for her younger sister, and how strong Rien had tried to be thus far. She loved her younger sister, though she knew she could no longer call her 'little' sister, she had shown far too much maturity to warrant that label.

"I'm sure it will be fine," Rien said doubtfully, trying not to really dwell on it – on him. She had been plagued by the memory of their last kiss, but his behaviour at the dinner a few days ago had been a further mystery to her. He was as cold and dispassionate as he ever was, but she had not been able to shake this feeling of closeness with him. It always felt as though they were the only people in the room. But she knew her feelings to be one-sided, and bordering on delusional, so she had been trying to dismiss them, even though all her instincts shouted that it was real.

"It is tradition that you stay at your sensei's house while you train. The Ukitake and Kuchiki Clans have both extended an invitation to you. You may, in theory, chose either," Yoruichi explained, a searching, heavy expression on her beautiful face. She had left this explanation for the end, not wanting to ruin Rien's weekend with her friends. In theory, Rien could choose to live at either House, but in practice, there really was no choice.

"Um…for how long?" Rien whispered, already resigned to her fate.

"For the duration of your training."

"Oh…um…okay, I guess."

"Where will you stay?"

"Don't make me say it. You know I would much rather go home."

_Would you, really?_ Rien doubtfully wondered. _Yes_, she finally concluded. She did not want him like this, to have him endure her, to push her unwanted presence on him. It was over and she knew it, it had been over since the moment his lips had left hers, and she was now basking in the acrid aftermath of that knowledge.

"Will you be okay?"

"I'll be…fine." She hoped rather than believed that to be the truth. It really was going to be torture to be around him so frequently. Six months ago, it would have been self-inflicted torture, but now, all she wanted to do was run as far away as possible from his intense silver gaze. He did not want nor care for her, and that knowledge alone was felt like acid pumping through her heart killing one cell at a time, causing a chain reaction in her, corroding away the very essence of her.

"Uh…I'm going home – to the real world. I have to see Kisuke. I don't want you to stay here alone, my Little One – this house will drive you mad. I'd rather you be with Jyuushiro, but I guess it can't be helped. I'll make sure _he_ won't hurt you." Youruichi whispered her private reason for leaving to Rien alone. She desperately wanted to return home with Yoruichi, but she knew how delicate the situation with the Kuchiki clan was. Rien also understood Yruichi's need for Kisuke – for the safety of his arms after the sadness of this place…she would feel the same if ever her unrequited love were returned, if she ever found a place to be safe.

* * *

Jyuushiro's face brightened, and he smiled warmly as he saw her. He walked in from the porch overlooking the beautiful garden, and briefly noted how much more joy his new view gave him.

"May I take your coat?" Kiyone asked the noble guest. Rien unbuttoned the red coat and gracefully slid it off of her shoulders, handing the beautiful garment to Kiyone with a sincere smile.

"Thank you." Her voice sounded like the most beautiful music, Kiyone thought, as she left the room to get the tea Ukitake taichou had asked for.

"Your home is beautiful, Ukitake taichou, and thank you again for this opportunity." Although Rien's beautiful black dress had considerably distracted him, he could see the effort she was putting in to being noble, detached. He could handle this, just as well as she was, he told himself, shaking away the distraction her body caused. He would be professional, she was 'just another student'.

"We leave her in your capable hands then, Ukitake-taichou." The Shihouin elders all filed solemnly out of the comfortable room.

It looked like home, Rien thought, not her home with Yoruichi, but _a home_ – _Jyuu's home_. How she longed to be able to stay with him, to feel safe and cared for always. She couldn't place her finger on it, but that is always how he made her feel, safe and …_cared_ for.

"Hai," he said, as the last of the elders closed the door. They really shouldn't trust him with her, if he didn't trust himself, he idly thought as he released an inaudible sigh.

She closed the small distance between them as the door closed. She flung herself at him, the unexpected force of it pushing Jyuushiro back into one of the railings of the porch. "Yoruichi's gone home," she exhaled, burring her head under his chin, her hands tightly squeezing the folds of his clothes. He felt her cool breath caress his satin skin, as she spoke, her lips brushed his collarbone. Although she did not cry, her body vibrated against his with the tears she held in.

It was in this moment that it became vibrantly clear, how difficult it was going to be for him. Jyuushiro let out a defeated sigh and encircled her with his arms.

Rien heard the jingle of the tea cups being carelessly slammed onto the table inside, and instantly recoiled from Jyuushiro's embrace. They both turned to see a dishevelled Kiyone, putting the tea tray down on the dining room table.

Rien slowly walked to the table and sat down on a cushion and Jyuushiro slowly followed, both pretending that they hadn't been caught, that there was nothing to feel guilty about.

"I'm sorry, I'm so clumsy sometimes." Kiyone spoke softly, painfully, looking at Ukitake taichou alone, who himself looked at bit…startled.

"No, its entirely my fault Kiyone-san. Please forgive me," Rien plainly stated, placing a hand on the rattled girl's shoulder. Kiyone turned, startled by the gesture, and looked at Rien's warm, sincere smile.

It _had_ been her fault, Kiyone thought. _How could she dare to hold Ukitake taichou in such an intimate manner, and more importantly, why had Ukitake taichou held her so close, so tenderly_…

"No, it's my fault." Kiyone's words dripped with ice. She decided that she would not let Rien-san take even this from her. _Not this too_, she thought.

Rien did not protest, she just let it slide, she could not comprehend why, but she could see how much it meant to Kiyone. Rien removed her hand from Kiyone's shoulder, and was about to offer to pour Jyuushiro a cup of tea, but Kiyone had beat her to it.

"Please don't worry about it Kiyone. They are just things," Jyuushiro smiled down at her when she handed him the cup.

"Hai, Ukitake taichou," she almost blushed. Rien understood immediately. How could other people not love him, she thought. He was loveable in everyway. Kiyone bowed and left after pouring Rien a cup of tea as well.

"She loves you, you know," Rien sighed after a sip of the delicious strawberry tea.

"Yes, she cares about me a great deal. I think she still worries that I may become sick and die." He spoke softly in his calm, deep voice. Rien could listen to him speak like this for hours, but she shook that thought away.

"I'm glad you have someone to protect you. I do so many careless things to hurt you. I hope she will be enough to stop me," Rien sighed deeply, as she even then, wanted to touch him.

"You don't hurt me," Jyuushiro stated, lifting her chin as he did. Although his words sounded sincere, looking into Jyuushiro's eyes, Rien could tell that they were a lie. "And I don't need protection from _you_," Jyuushiro chuckled.

"No, you don't want to be protected from me, but you do need it," she heavily stated, finishing the last sip of her tea. "Perhaps this was a worse mistake than I had anticipated." Rien got up and turned to leave.

"Way of binding, number 4: Hainawa, Crawling Rope."

"What is this supposed to be? I'm not going to play your game, Jyuu," she smiled, inspite of herself.

Jyuushiro had shunpo'ed in front of her, a cocky smile appearing on his beautiful face. "If you really want to go, then I wont stop you. You can leave, _if_ you can leave." His smile broadened at the issued challenge.

"I have broken out of stronger binding spells before," she smiled. "Though it was all unintentional," she added, as she struggled against the spell. It was a lot harder than she had anticipated to release herself.

"I assure you, my kido spells, regardless of the levels, are far stronger," he winked at her, teasingly.

"Well, according to Kisuke, there are two ways to break a binding spell: force, or distraction. Since I'm not sure I could force this rope off…" Rien appeared next to Jyuushiro and quickly swept his legs out from his knees. Jyuushiro fell with a loud thud on the wooden floor. Rien appeared over him, her knee on his chest. "I've never noticed how delectable you look lying down, before," she blurted the first thought that came to her mind. They were thoughtless words she immediately regretted, but they had served their purpose – he was distracted. Rien wanted to distract him, so his concentration would falter, and she could wriggle out of the binding spell – but not like this, not with careless, hurtful words.

The door slammed open as Rien was about to apologise. Kiyone saw Ukitake taichou, lying on the ground, with Rien's knee on his chest, and Rien herself subject to a binding spell. Kiyone didn't know what to think – perhaps this ryoka girl had finally snapped and attacked Ukitake taichou…A million scenarios went through her mind, but none of them really mattered. Ukitake taichou was hurt, and Rien would pay with her life.

"Way of destruction, number 31: Shakkahou, Shot of red fire," Kiyone's voice rang a second after she opened the door. There was no thought before Rien's reaction, just action. She flipped lithely through the air, and only narrowly dodged the red ball of kido fire, her arms still restrained at her sides.

"Way of destruction…," Rien heard Kiyone begin the spell again.

"Way of binding, number 9: Geki, Strike," Rein clearly articulated each word as she landed, using her now free, hands to direct the spell at Kiyone. Rien then closed her eyes, and braced herself, fully prepared to take the second fire ball. But, it never came. Jyuushiro had discharged Kiyone's poorly aimed kido spell.

"Rien, are you okay?" Jyuushiro held her by the shoulders as she opened her eyes, urgency and desperation in his voice. Rien nodded silently as he kneeled next to her. They had both momentarily forgotten Kiyone's paralysed presence in the room.

"Forgive me, I should have reacted sooner," Jyuushiro said, while helping Rien up.

"Stop worrying Jyuu, I was never in any real danger," she said, as she caressed his cheek, and then quickly pulled away, feeling guilt for the intimate touch.

This was certainly going to be difficult, but at least she would have time to get used to his presence, and learn to control her confusing emotions. The incident was a small, short-lived story, easily soothed away by Jyuushiro and his infectious calm. Although Kiyone was excessively apologetic and calm afterwards, Rien still got the feeling that Kiyone's animosity towards her was going to be a tough nut to crack.

* * *

She was escorted to the Kuchiki estate by Ukitake taichou, who handed her over to Byakuya, and then affectionately rubbed her shoulder as he said, "Stay safe until we next meet, Rien." Byakuya silently took it all in, appearing as though he wasn't interested, but their interaction riveted him. Ukitake had never touched him in that manner when they had trained together. Ever so secretly, perhaps even unconsciously, Byakuya resented the ease with which Ukitake showed her affection, that he showed her affection at all, perhaps even that he had dared to touch what was not his…she was not Ukitake's, after all.

Their first training session was more of an event than training. The Kuchiki elders, led by his grandmother, Kimiko, had prepared afternoon tea for Rien, to welcome her to the Kuchiki Estate. His grandmother doted on her, and remarked on how long it had been since she had had a guest with whom she could chat. Byakuya hoped that there was not going to be any chatting taking place, he had better things to do after all. His grandmother begrudgingly let Rien go with him, but not until extracting a lunchtime date with her sometime that week.

The truth was that Kimiko and Byakuya had had a close relationship, when he was a child, but now all that was left of that, was a strained, fragile, interaction where little was said. Having dealt with catastrophes of a similar magnitude, while her husband Genrei was alive, she was immediately called into action by the 'Rien problem'. Kimiko was the initiator and leader of the 'I disapprove of Hisana' rebellion that had plagued Byakuya when he had announced his intentions to marry. Although Kimiko had tried to repair the damage after Hisana's death, Byakuya felt that it was too little, too late. She did not often come to this part of the estate, and he had been surprised by her presence at tea. Not that he had been planning to have tea – he just wanted all this over and done with.

Renji had begged and pleaded to be allowed to come for afternoon training with Rien, saying things like how helpful he would be, and how he had trained with her before, and how he would keep the crowds at bay. Byakuya had wondered what crowds Renji was referring to, but when they entered the training area, they were greeted with a crowd of spectators, who Renji efficiently pushed back.

Renji's hair was at first tied up, in the usual manner, but then it was suddenly lose the next time Byakuya turned around to motion Rien and Renji forward. As Rien passed him, he saw the rubber band in her hand, and Renji stealthily trying to get it back.

Neither Byakuya nor Rien relished the idea of spectators; Rien because she was afraid she would fall flat on her face and make a fool of herself, and Byakuya, because he hated being watched, especially around her, when he felt his control would be at its weakest.

The red coat she wore was not suitable for training, it was too heavy, and he did not want to have that conversation with her, he just hoped she would realise it by the end of the training session. But, to Byakuya's surprise, she unbuttoned the red coat with black embroidery, which Renji promptly took, and revealed that excessively distracting black dress from the other night. He hated the dress, he felt it was teasing, showing too much and not enough at the same time. Definitely no crowds tomorrow, he vowed.

The training area of the 6th squad barracks was packed to capacity, with fukutaichous, Kuchiki and Shihouin elders, and many other lower ranking members of his squad. It was barely enough room to train, and he contemplated ordering them all away, but decided that it would be in poor taste and may spark further unwanted rumours that he wanted to be alone with the troublesome girl. He would issue a memo later, stating that all further training sessions were not open to the public, and if the squads were lacking better things to do, he would find something for the idle hands to busy themselves with.

Kimiko came forward just as they were about to begin. "My dear child…" she looked up, turning her short gaze at Rien. "On behalf of the Kuchiki Clan, we would like to present you with this katana, with which to train." Warm assuring eyes bore into Rien.

"Um…" she looked towards the Shihouin elders who were nodding. "T-thank you, it is my honour to accept such a beautiful gift," she replied, her eyes questioningly darting in Byakuya's direction. He did not look happy, a serious expression plaguing his beautiful features. Kimiko left to watch with the others, a satisfied look on her wrinkled face.

"Don't use it today," Byakuya cautioned, while taking Kimiko's place next to her. "She failed to mention that the katana is magical…it has certain enhanced properties," he whispered the words to her as everyone else strained to listen.

"I can't just dishonour her like that, she will be hurt," Rien spoke, just as softly. Since Renji tried to listen in as well, he forgot about the crowd, and the stealthy way in which they all encroached on the couple in the middle.

"She is more hardened than you can imagine," he replied evenly.

"I'm sure it will be fine. But I won't use it if you order me not to…so, are you ordering me not to?" She looked a little annoyed at his previously commanding tone. She was not a child, not his subordinate…not even a shinigami. At this point, all they were doing was humouring their families, and she did not appreciate being ordered around. It wasn't like she wanted to be there anyway.

"Do as you wish," he said, with a hint of anger tainting his words. She would soon regret it, he thought, and that clamed him somewhat. He glared at the crowd almost on top of them, and then at Renji who was doing nothing about it. He needed to direct his glare somewhere, and it didn't seem like it worked on her, at all.

During training he could see her pretend to be worse than she was, to give him something benign to teach, and he in turn did not exert even a fraction of his true force on her. They practiced attacking and defending with a katana, their audience riveted, half of them hoping for a repeat incident, the elders worried and weary at every turn or slash made. He talked briefly about meaningless things, such as the correct breathing when attacking and defending, and suggesting she practice the routine movements of an attack and defensive stance for that day, instead of them actually having to spar – which he knew everyone else was waiting for. They finished off with shunpo combined with katana attacks. He noticed her sluggish shunpo, obviously a consequence of her incomplete recovery. He decided to end the lesson there. He really was done. Done watching her distract him from his real duties, real training he could be doing, and the cold shower he now needed.

Byakuya left the training area with a few begrudged words to her. Hating the need for pretence. Glancing back, which he never did, and no one noticed him do now, he saw the empty, pained expression on her face as Renji tried to keep the other fukutaichou's from overwhelming her with needless personal questions.

* * *

Byakuya found himself at home that night, in time for dinner, although he didn't know how he had managed to finish all that paperwork – without any of Renji's help! He idly wondered why he had bothered to go home that day. He often didn't return home at any decent hour, usually having his meals sent to the 6th squad's offices. Venturing into his dining room, he noticed her sole presence, lounging with ease, having already hungrily gulped down the first course.

She paused when she noticed his presence, "Kuchiki taichou…I'm sorry, I would have waited for you had I known you would be coming. The chef said that you rarely…but I guess, I mean…" she stumbled on her words, afraid to be alone with him. "Rukia is on duty with Jyuushiro this month," she added, as a type of apology for him to have to endure her, alone. The cool breeze filtered in through the open silk screen doors, and the magical night time sounds followed close behind, echoing an uncomfortable silence between them. She began to stare past him to the beautiful garden, hoping he would stop loitering at the entrance, her only route of escape.

He walked in, not bothering to comment on her words or glance in her direction. He soundlessly sat down across from her. "Please excuse me, Kuchiki taichou. I hope you enjoy your meal," she said, attempting to get up, to run as far away as she could. Not that she would remember how to get back to her designated room, its location remote, private, and a sudden mystery to her. She should have paid more attention when Kimiko-san had shown it to her earlier, but the whole estate was breathtaking, every aspect begging for her appreciation.

He caught her wrist gently as she attempted to rise. "Do not make yourself uneasy. You belong here now." _With me, always_. "I do not require isolation in order to eat. You will not be in my way if you stay," he simply stated, not bothering to glance up at her, momentarily forgetting to release her wrist. She bent to his will, gravitated towards his touch, until she caught herself leaning intimately in his direction, and hastily moved away as the chef brought the next course of the meal through.

They ate without speaking. She watched him, fascinated by his every graceful movement, trying not be obvious about her study. She chided herself for this indulgence. He was _not_ entertainment, and she was _trying_ to forget about him and all his allures, not even allowing herself the luxury of his name – a captain should not be addressed so casually, so intimately – she remembered his chiding from the other night.

He noticed her stiffness, the formal nature with which she addressed him, that she rarely looked at him anymore, and not like she used to, not with her trusting innocence anymore, but a burdened façade behind which she hid. She was beginning to understand what it meant to be noble, he regretfully thought.

He noticed her unfinished desert, and he had also noticed her collection of peas on the side of her plate during the main course, all just small hints about her that he didn't know why he took notice of. She had observed, necessitated by her downcast gaze, the excessive amount of honey he had in his tea, the twenty clockwise stirs, and then the twenty anti-clockwise stirs. She thought it odd that he prepared his tea himself, obviously being very particular about it, and thinking others too incompetent to follow the simple instruction.

He suddenly rose and went outside, not saying a word to her, taking the newly made tea with him. She followed, unsure of what else to do. He sat on a wooden bench, under one of the various cherry blossom trees that he was so fond of, and began to leisurely sip the tea. He peered up at the moon, with an expression so open, it made her want to enfold him in an embrace. He looked at ease, not the cold, controlled atmosphere he normally projected. She felt like an intruder on his intimate solitude. She briefly thought of leaving, but could not tear herself from him when he was like this, it was too rare a treat to experience him in this way…it was a quiet, comfortable moment between them. His indulgence of her with him now said more than he could with words, more than he was ready to say with words, more than he truly understood about his feelings.

Rien came closer, drawn in by a familiar scent. "What tree is this?" she impulsively inquired, then hated herself for interrupting his relaxation.

"A sakura tree, of course," he breathed, as though she was an imbecile for not knowing. "Why do you ask?"

_Because this scent lingers on you, always_. "No reason. It's beautiful," she chimed, stretching her arms out and twirling as a gust of wind blew a rainfall of petals on them both. "They don't have this type of tree in Karakura Town," she added, as an explanation for her lack of knowledge.

"The climate there is not ideal," his deep melody rang, closer to her than she expected, her twirling body stumbling from the surprise. He easily caught her. The position was too intimate for her to breathe, and even Byakuya found himself holding his breath, until he remembered to let her go.

"Do you require assistance in getting back to your quarters?" he stiffly inquired, the mask quickly setting to protect him.

"I don't want to inconvenience you any further, I'm sure it will happen upon me sooner or later." She cheerfully chimed, momentarily forgetting her noble façade.

"I'll take you there." It was more of an order than a suggestion or invitation, and Rien could not imagine the reason behind it, or forsee a way out of it.

"Really…I'm sure I will…"

"It is close to my old room. I know the area well, even in the dark."

"Why would it be dark?"

"The whole wing is yours now, and you're obviously not home. That wing has been desolate since I married." She stopped following him, momentarily startled that he would bring up something personal in her presence. She continued to follow after a few seconds, and had to run to catch up. He seemed unphased by the admission. She slammed into his chest as he turned, her hands flat against his torso. "Here it is," he said, as he slowly peeled her away from him, his hands warm on her clothed arms.

"Thank you, Kuchiki taichou," she whispered to his retreating form. She felt like she was constantly watching him walk away from her. "Goodnight, Byakuya," she sighed heavily against her closed door after entering the cold, empty room with every comfort except the one she wanted.

Still 'Kuchiki taichou', he thought, more than a bit disappointed not to hear his name sung in her melody.

* * *

Training the next day was torturous for them both. Byakuya had decided that they should train at the Kuchiki manor, instead of the 6th squad's barracks, like the day before. No spectators would dare enter his house. There was a beautiful garden at the front of her bedroom, one of many beautiful sights dotted around the estate. Jyuushiro had cancelled training for that month, since he was on assignment with Rukia, and he felt that she needed to further recover. Byakuya however, was not as considerate.

So, not having gotten to sleep the night before, because she was afraid of where she would end up in the morning, she had gone to breakfast, starving and not having slept. Lunch was no different, a servant had woken her for the meal, saying something about Byakuya being home for lunch. When she arrived, bleary-eyed and semi-conscious, she saw him already waiting for her.

She sat down silently, wearing her training outfit, that she had hastily thrown on. "Forgive me, I did not expect you for lunch, or…" she sighed heavily. She was tired of apologising for things that were not her fault – she really was beginning to hate being noble.

"How was your day, Kuchiki taichou?" her sleepy voice cracked a little.

He made no answer, just started eating. She decided not to point out the fact that he was being rude by not answering her question. "Did you not like your room?" he inquired, not sounding the least bit interested in her answer or the question itself.

"The room is beautiful, as is the rest of your house, Taichou." _Not nearly as beautiful as you_, she thought, but mentally slapped herself for slipping back to loving him.

Silence followed her answer, until he suggested that they begin the day's training. He walked slowly, seeming as though he was lost in thought. Stopping in front of her bedroom, stepping off the porch and into the garden. She quickly ran into her bedroom and retrieved the katana forgotten in her hurried, sleepy haze.

When she emerged, he turned, the wind catching in his haori, hair whipping behind him. "Draw the katana," he instructed. She obeyed, tossing the sheath to the grass, out of their way. "You're holding it incorrectly," he sighed, knowing she had no idea of what he was referring, necessitating that he have to speak to her more often than he would anyone else. He saw her shift the way she was holding it, and try to figure out what he meant.

"That is the perfect way to hold a katana, but that is not why I am training you. I am training you in the use of a zanpakuto." He walked towards her and stood looking at the elegant hand he wished would touch him. "Not so tightly. Hold it with ease. Never allow your hands to touch on the hilt." He could see her confusion, the perplexed expression on her beautiful sleepy face.

He sighed in discontent. He moved behind her. She froze, not out of fear, but out of exertion – she had to exert an immense amount of control to not reach out immediately and touch him, or cling to his beautiful body.

To her surprise, he wrapped his arms around her. His lips hovered at the hollow beneath her ear, gently brushing her skin as he spoke, "Lower the katana," he purred from behind her, and she immediately did as he commanded, staking the katana in the ground. He unsheathed his zanpakuto and held it in front of her with both his arms around her. "See, like this – no tension. A zanpakuto is apart of a shinigami's soul, an extension of their power – not a mindless weapon." His deep baritone vibrated near her ear, causing her hair to bend around his breath. She wanted to turn, to hold him back, to kiss him. But she was paralysed by his touch, remembering how much it would hurt once he pulled away, and discarded her and her feelings once more.

"Feel my hands on it," he instructed. She slowly moved her hands down his arms and over his gloved hands. "See – no tension." However, he could feel the tension in his body, but it was not because of the zanpakuto. He did not remember it being this uncomfortable when Ukitake taichou had done it to him – but, he was ten at the time, and far smaller and shorter than she was now. His 6ft frame easily encased her petite body, and he dared not take this any further. She seemed to lean into him a little as her hands moved up and down his bare forearms, and she almost rest her head on his shoulder. He felt the corners of his mouth twitch, wanting to smile, but having forgotten how.

"Practice that for the rest of the day, and all the things we spoke of yesterday as well. I want you to spend at least one hour of everyday in meditation." He sheathed his katana and moved away from her. He wanted to retreat as far and as fast as he could. _No more_, he told himself once more. He felt that his feelings for her, whatever they were, were ridiculous and not worth dwelling on…but everytime they were together, he felt like her smallest smile could defeat him and shatter all he had worked for.

Rien could not speak, was barely able to breathe, and was on the verge of giving up her struggle and holding onto him for as long as she could, for as long as he would allow. She felt the pain crush her as he pulled away from her, and was glad when he left her to practice, alone, in the sudden shower.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Hope you guys like the Jyuu-Rien-Bya triangle sort of unfolding. Readers have asked if I had added Jyuu out of a sudden whim…but if you go back to previous chapters (for eg. White Knight…kinda ambiguous about who it was, on purpose), or had read carefully, you would have seen that Jyuu has always been around. Yes, my many wonderful reviewers – Jyuu and Bya are also my favourites…guess that is why I like to write them.

One of my beautiful reviewers said that they would love this story to be featured in Bleach – I almost cried…huge compliment! And yes, I would probably drop dead(of happiness), go to Seireitei and become a shinigami if BLEACH ever actually decided to do this story.

Give me four weeks before the next update, if you can (it will probably be less, but just in case). It is mostly done, but you know how I like to brood over it. It will have more of the same, and an episode of Ruk-Ren-Ichi as well.

Review if you can, and have the inclination to do so…I always thoroughly appreciate them. Please keep me on the straight and narrow.


	21. Irresistible ForceImmovable object

**Supernova**

By Willow Athena

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach or any of its characters, but Rien and this story are definitely mine

**Author's note:** Please allow me to extend my apologies to all my faithful readers and reviewers. I site replenishing mountains of work as my excuse for this shamefully late chapter. I will try to be faster in the future, but I just have to finish one move big thing that will allow me to breathe and create once more.

* * *

**Chapter 21 –When an Irresistible Force Meets an Immoveable Object**

Byakuya felt Rien's façade of nobility taunting him, inviting him to do something about it so he could have her back. The old Rien, who was honest and open about her feelings, who didn't try to be something she was not – _stone_. Truth be told, Rien's inclination and ability to continue this façade was waning.

Byakuya's mood swings did not help! One day he would be thoughtful and polite and the next, cold, scathing and uncaring. His good moods were not easily noticed by just anyone, but were heavily encrypted actions fobbed off as indifference. Like when he would walk Rien to her room everynight and subtly suggest that she was incapable of finding it without him, when the truth was that he had come to crave her presence. Even the silence seemed full when she was around.

He had begun to call her by her name, because she would respond to nothing else. Rien was stubborn and always wanted her way, a trait he recognized in himself.

He noticed her lounging in the uppermost branch of the sakura tree, in the garden outside her room. Yourichi had warned him to keep her safe, and of her affinity for heights. He walked until he was beneath the tree, not even bothering to look up. "Princess," he called, obviously in the mood to annoy her, to provoke any reaction out of her. "Should we not begin training now?"

It always angered her to be called that and usually resulted in him being ignored or her sulking for the rest of the day in silence. She immediately shut her book with a dull thud, and gracefully jumped down from the tree to land behind him.

"We may begin whenever you wish…_my Prince_," she replied with a tone of mischief.

"Refrain from making comments you do not understand," he evenly replied, concealing his true distaste for the 'nick-name'.

"I would ask the same of you," she replied more seriously as she crossed the garden to leave the book on the porch step. She picked up the katana. Byakuya did not miss her attempt to hide a spirit suppressing collar as the bookmark of the book. It intrigued him.

"I was thinking…," she began in the middle of their training session.

"How nice for you. It must be such a novel experience," he replied while completing an attack which sent her flying back.

She ignored the commonplace remarks designed to insult and anger her. "…that maybe we could be friends," she finished as she straightened and walked over to him. He promptly sheathed his zanpakuto. "Hear me out please," she implored before he could shunpo away.

"I have been respecting your wishes since the moment you _left_. I have kept my promise and will continue to do so." He turned away from her beautiful vulnerability, and from the way the setting sun caressed her skin and invited him to do the same.

I just thought that we could at least be friends. I will continue to respect your decision. I know we can never be anything…_more_." She sighed, "I feel like I'm pretending, everyday…I am not as you are – noble, and I cannot continue this way." He was silent, but made no move to leave. She stepped in front of him so he could see the sincerity of her words.

" I can infrequently pretend for the outside world, but I feel that everyday I pretend to be noble, that it stops being a lie, it becomes the truth and slowly erases who I am" His expression was unreadable, but not cold, perhaps just thoughtful. Her anticipation of his answer was suffocating, making it hard to release the breath she had unconsciously been holding in. She felt suspended in time, a momentary reprieve from her inevitable disappointment – how could she have been so foolish!

He caught her shoulder as she turned away from him – defeated. Her body stiffened. "Friends then," he agreed, letting his lips brush her ear as he spoke, and then he sunpo'ed away. She fell to the ground, the strings of tension holding her up in his presence, no longer able to sustain her.

"Please don't let me forget to wear that reiatsu suppressing collar tonight," she whispered and half-smiled to herself.

* * *

"Taichou, briefing of the new sixth squad members has been completed. They were all excited to meet you." Renji noticed Byakuya's good mood for the past few days. That he had assigned less paperwork and even agreed to meet the members of his squad. Though his address to them could be summed up by, "I expect nothing but the best from the members of my squad," and was delivered in his usual stoic manner.

Renji felt a gust of wind and his hair fall to his shoulders and knew it could be no other. "Rien!" he pleaded, but knew it could not be helped.

"Hey Renji, you can play me for it if you like," she smirked from Byakuya's couch. Byakuya was amused by Renji's fruitless chase of Rien around the room. It reminded him of a similar time with Yoruichi.

"Rien," he cautioned as he had to catch some of his paperwork before it flew off of his desk'

"Sorry," she replied, with a hidden smile over her shoulder. Her familiarity with him still made him uneasy.

"Byakuya, you ready for lunch?" Renji's jaw almost hit the floor when he heard his taichou's name escape Rien's lips. He almost dove in front of her to shield her from Byakuya's wrath. But there was none, which made Renji even more suspicious.

"I would have been home in a few moments," Byakuya replied, inwardly content to once again hear his name sung in her melody.

"I know, but I thought it would be fun to have lunch here, with Renji." She whipped her head around, "Yes, that means I brought enough for you," she beamed at Renji. Renji could see she was a lot happier than before and wondered what could have incited the change.

"Yes, fun," Byakuya dryly replied.

Rien cleared Byakuya's coffee table and laid everything out. Renji's mouth watered just looking at everything. It was going to be a long, enjoyable lunch – completely forgetting about the mountain of neglected paperwork he would have to finish that night.

* * *

After a month away with her captain, Rukia came home, to Rein's enthusiastic relief. She was surprised to see her brother at dinner, but Rien did not look phased. They sat and ate, with barely a word spoken between Byakuya and Rien. The only real conversation was Rien's insistence that Rukia fill her in on all the adventures she had had with Jyuushiro.

Nothing like that first training session had occurred again. Byakuya seemed satisfied with theoretical instruction rather than the conventional sparing method of instruction usually employed during this type of training. He would occasionally indulge Rien by practicing with her, but they never really _trained_.

Even through their maintained silence, Rukia noticed their ease in eachother's presence. It was not an uncomfortable silence, but rather that their desires need not be spoken aloud anymore. Byakuya cut a thin sliver of cake for Rien, knowing from experience that she would never finish anything more, due to her distaste of sweetness. Rien in the meantime made his excessively honey infused tea for him and handed it silently over as she spoke to the stunned Rukia. Byakuya silently accepted the tea, made exactly as he would have himself, _accidentally_ brushing his hand against Rien's as he accepted the cup. Neither acknowledged the ritualistic nature of this – they were just mindless movements that spoke volumes of their understandings of eachother.

"H-how is your training?" Rukia spluttered, not knowing how to approach the subject of their ease with eachother. Byakuya looked almost…_content_.

"As well as can be expected, considering my lack of ability and talent," she laughed lightly. Byakuya did not correct her. In truth, little progress had been made in calling out her zanpakuto, but she had improved greatly in strategy and shunpo. He assessed her to be fully recovered, but could not bring himself to truly begin training her, unsure if he could handle her close proximity without hurting her or giving in to her and the diabolical voice in the back of his mind.

Rukia excused herself soon after desert, saying she was tired, but really wanting to interrogate Renji about this strange behaviour from her brother and Rien.

* * *

"Nothin's happened between them, if that's what yer askin'," Renji laughed. His tall muscular body gleamed in the moonlight and through his open floral robe. Rukia had given him the robe, as a joke, but he had seemed to like it all the same.

"Your hair…" Rukia couldn't really form the words for the appropriate response to this sight. Renji had soon given up on tying his hair up with Rien around, and it now flowed freely, like a river of molten lava over the tan, muscular form of his torso.

"Rien says it makes me look sexy," he laughed, not really believing his little sister's comment. "Won't let me tie it up. You know it's a waste of energy to fight with her," Renji smiled, turning in Rukia's direction.

_Sexy, she said he looked…sexy_.

Rukia started to wonder if Rien had come to _want_ Renji instead of her unattainable brother. "Been spendin' a lot of time with her since she's been training with Taichou."

_Are they dating?_

Renji could not understand Rukia's expression, it bordered between pain and panic. "You okay?" He said, putting a reassuring hand on Rukia's shoulder. His hand was warm, like it always used to be, and she hated the way it disarmed her.

"I'm fine, you fool. Just worried about Nii-sama – he seemed _different._"

"Know what ya mean. Been more of a bastard than normal, if you ask me. Made me do all the fuckin' paperwork since he spends most of his time with Rien. Never stays late at the office anymore – which means I'm always at the fucking office." As Renji rambled his problems to Rukia, she was lost in thought. He had mindlessly put his arm around her shoulder, like he used to when they were friends, and absently began to massage as he spoke. His large hands gently moved on her small shoulder, and without further thought, she leaned comfortably into his side. "Hey, you tired?" he challengingly smirked.

She pushed him away. "Don't worry about _me_, and don't talk about Nii-sama like that," she warned.

"All I was saying is that the guy seriously needs to relax, and pull that pole out of his…" Renji stopped short at Rukia's warning glare. _So much like her Nii-sama's_, he thought.

"What's going on with you and Rien?" She decided to be blunt. Surely that was the most efficient course of action.

"What do you mean?"

"Uh…." How much more direct could she be?

"We just fuck around behind his back – you know…"

"You what?"

"Fool around. Have fun." Renji could not understand Rukia's expression. But, Rien knew exactly what she was thinking. Rien had initially hoped that the moment would turn intimate between her two friends, but when she saw it taking an ugly turn, she decided to step in and perhaps stoke the fire a little.

Rien coughed to announce her presence, which they both could obviously not sense. "Hey sexy," she winked in Renji's direction, as she sauntered over to lean on Renji who put his arm around her out of reflex – having had to fend off almost all of Seireitei, who had wanted a piece of Rien. "I missed you so much, Rukia. How is Jyuu? Is he really ok?" she giggled, snuggling into Renji and absently playing with his long vibrant locks.

"Um…Ukitake taichou is fine. He's looking forward to seeing you tomorrow." Rukia was…annoyed, okay maybe annoyed wasn't the right word…frustrated, mad, angry…still not right. Rien knew exactly what emotion Rukia was feeling…_jealousy_ – and it was about time! Rukia had taken Renji's silent, enduring love for granted for far too long. Rien loved both Renji and Ichigo, but it seemed Ichigo needed no help, whereas Renji needed to be pushed over every obstacle. She did not know who Rukia should choose, and had sympathy for her predicament, but she had to at least acknowledge that she had feelings for Renji too.

"How did you dodge him this time?" Renji laughed as he helped her twirl like she always did against his taller frame.

"Just absconded after he walked me to my bedroom. He must think I'm an imbecile. I've been living there for a month now – I think I can find my bedroom," Rien laughed, an equally happy sound. It seemed as though she really had adjusted to life in Seireitei.

Rukia began to feel that jealous pang as she watched their happiness. Renji looked so happy, so at ease. She immediately knew she wanted to be the reason for that happiness – she wanted to be the one twirling in his arms…not that she really had any desire to twirl, just an undeniable desire to be in his arms at that moment. She could almost hate Rien for stealing him away from her, but hate was useless. She vowed to reclaim Renji…unaware that nothing romantic or physical was transpiring between the two, just a misunderstanding and a poor choice of words.

Rukia abruptly excused herself, feigning tiredness. She needed a good plan to oust Rien, but she was sure years of knowing Renji would give her the upper hand in the battle.

"So, what's going on between you two? I thought he hated you but now..." Renji was definitely nosey. "Can you really just be his friend? I mean, with the way you feel about him?"

"I have to try," she sighed. "Anyway, it's not like we're really friends, we've just decided to stop being enemies."

"You should really be the last one talking," she accused. Renji looked at her blankly, as though he had no idea what she could be referring to. "Don't make me say it out loud. It's obvious that you_ care _about her." He did not dispute her words, just stared into the star filled sky. "It's awful isn't it?" she smiled.

"What?" he asked.

"Being in love with such beautiful and unattainable creatures."

"How do you know you really love him?" Renji questioned his own feelings for Rukia-they made him feel weak and vulnerable to attack. Renji wanted to be strong, powerful-like Byakuya. Not like Rukia's smallest smile could defeat him.

"Loving Byakuya is like assailing the highest tower in Seireitei and jumping off of it everyday. When you hit the ground, bloodied and broken, you just know. . ."

"Know what?"

"Gravity exists."

She smiled in Renji's direction. "An inevitable pull, and an undeniable attraction. An ever constant reminder that no matter what I do, every breath that I take is always for him."

"Gravity, huh?" Renji smiled back.

"Yup. Ever constant, unyielding gravity. How else would you describe it? "

Cool silver eyes danced in the shadows. He was just curious about where Rien could be going so late at night. He had not intended to eavesdrop, but he had been unable to tear himself away once he heard the content of her conversation.

She truly loved him. His body and mind reacted to the thought before he could dismiss it. It comforted him, made him feel complete, wanted, and whole in a way he had never felt whole before. But how could he trust it? The emotions felt unfamiliar to him. He had loved before, but this felt nothing like what he felt for Hisana. This felt dangerous, powerful and impossible. She was right, this felt all-consuming, like it would destroy him if he did not give in. But she was wrong about one thing, it was not undeniable- even if it killed him, he would never, ever succumb to these feelings. Too many people could get hurt, or perhaps he was just afraid _he_would get hurt, _again_.

* * *

**Author's note**

Thanks for reading and for waiting so long for an up update. I'm getting back into it now, so updates should be faster, but I make no promises about a specific date.

~ Willow~


	22. Going NowhereSlowly

**Supernova**

_By Willow Athena_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach or any of its characters, but Rien and this story are definitely mine

**Author's****note:** Please allow me to extend my apologies to all my faithful readers and reviewers. I really can't apologise enough for the year break I have taken from this story. I have laboured over these new chapters for more than a month contemplating whether or not to publish them.

* * *

**CHAPTER 22 – Going Nowhere…Slowly**

**(Rien's POV)**

Since Rukia had come home, Byakuya was different, more stiff and unyielding. Some days were better than others, and his moods would swing to polar opposites of torturing me with his perfection and hating the very sight of me. It was like Rukia's very presence reminded him of his duty and the role he played for Soul Society. At times it seemed that he was more callous to me than usual to show her that he had no affection for me at all. Perhaps he was trying to prove to Hisana's sister that he still loved Hisana and that the affections of a child were inconsequential to him. I knew that's what he thought of me – a child, like I was someone young and impressionable that he could toy with and mould into his idea of duty and nobility. Whenever he caught himself caring, he would excuse himself and return to stone. I didn't know which was worse, when I felt him care and recoil, or when I encountered his façade.

He didn't bother to really train me, as with a child, he felt he had all the time in the world. All my pleadings that I could handle_ real training_ fell on deaf ears. He would not yield.

"What if I refuse," I countered.

"Then refuse," Byakuya dryly replied. Only Renji was allowed to spectate when we trained, and I saw his knowing smirk out of the corner of my eye. I vowed he would pay for it later.

"This is such a waste of my time!" Perhaps I should not have stamped my feet like a petulant child while I said it, but I was frustrated. Even when I tried to attack Byakuya he could easily defend because he wasn't bothering to attack me at all. These last six months had been torture, and I was at my wits end – I was not the most patient of people, but I had tried not to inconvenience him. "My powers will never develop if you continue to toy with me like this!"

He was unmoved.

"Then I refuse to train with you. I want Renji," I demanded. He considered it for a moment.

"Renji, begin basic training," he instructed in his most disinterested tone, as he turned to watch from the porch.

Renji sauntered up to the middle of one of the sixth division's training areas – it was a nice, wide, open space. "Taichou, I don't think she's ready to fight a fukutaichou. Not that I'm refusing or anything, but maybe I should get Kira…"

He was cut off by me using the element of surprise to my advantage. He immediately unsheathed his zanpakuto, and released his shikai. This was further than I had gotten with Byakuya in months. His shikai was strong, but slower than I expected, and I was always able to dodge his attacks. I felt him holding back, as Byakuya had. My shunpo was much faster than Renji's, thanks to Yoruichi, and I eventually got behind him and gave him a little slice across his right shoulder. It was an insignificant scratch that mostly tore his sleeve off.

"Your bankai hasn't been out in a while, have you lost it?" I teased, trying to goad him into releasing his bankai.

"You wouldn't be able to handle_ my_ bankai," he smirked.

"Really," I said as I sliced his other shoulder. "Are you scared that I'll beat you?" I taunted as his other sleeve fell off.

"Hey, this was my favourite uniform!" he laughed me off.

The wind blew the open folds of my training outfit around me. "Renji, come on, you owe me!" I said as I used shunko to kick him far across the training field.

He emerged from a cloud of dirt, his bankai released. "Hihiou, Zabimaru," he exhaled. I saw Byakuya stand from his seated position, but he made no move to intervene. Perhaps he had finally decided to let me get some value out of training. Renji's reiatsu felt so different from Byakuya's, it was hot, impulsive and ragged at the edges, not the cool, controlled, and pristine waves Byakuya gave off.

"This is not going to be pretty," Renji warned. "Are you ready?"

I was already behind him, and he narrowly dodged my attempt to cut his tendon. He looked a little worried now. "Bad move," he replied as he constricted Zabimaru around us. His hesitation about using the usually required forced meant that I had an opportunity to shunpo out and cut him across the arm as I left. It was also a superficial cut. My attacks were probably not enough to cut through his reiatsu. I heard Renji laugh before I felt Zabimaru hit me into the ground.

The next thing I knew, Byakuya was carrying me to the porch and Renji was lying in a heap on the ground. "Rien," he breathed so close to me. He sounded concerned. As he caringly moved my hair away from my face and brushed blood stained lips with his hands, I momentarily considered not responding, just so I could stay in his arms like this, but then I heard Renji coughing nearby and thought about how much more trouble I would get him in.

"I'm fine," I said while standing up. "Renji, didn't really hurt me that badly," I confessed. "You don't need to worry about me, I'm not made of glass, and I'm far from being fragile, see…" I wiped my cut lip and bloodied chest to show no wounds beneath them. "I heal pretty quickly. Our secret, okay?" He made no response.

I shunpo'ed over to Renji, who looked far more broken than I was. "Hey, you okay?" I inquired as I helped him up from the ground where he lay.

"I'll live. What the fuck was that?" he asked through a pained cough.

"Renji, when I said basic training…I. Meant. It." He turned away. "Training is over for today, Rien. Renji, I will see you this afternoon for bankai training. You obviously need it, more than I thought." Maybe I was imagining it, but I could have sworn that under his steely coldness, he sounded a little hurt.

He shunpo'ed away to his office, and I followed. "Byakuya," I tentatively began, "I didn't deliberately keep it a secret from you. It just never came up before," I attempted to explain to his back. He released a third of his reiatsu and had it bore down on me – cool, controlled, and tasting of him.

He slowly turned his head and spoke over his right shoulder, "I can understand why you did not trust me. I applaud you for having that much sense, especially considering the feelings you had professed to have for me in the past." He said it as though he never believed I had any feelings for him. Which I knew was untrue. "Don't fool yourself into thinking you would ever be able to understand how I feel, and don't insult me by suggesting that I would care that _you_ would keep anything from me." He released half his reiatsu now, probably in the hopes of seeing me fall to the ground under his will.

But I stood strong. Not that it was easy, but Jyuushiro's training was at least worthwhile. I attempted to look nonchalant, and was rewarded by his eyes widening in surprise. He released ¾ of his reiatsu and I felt one of my knees immediately hit the ground. I rebelled against him, pushed harder and stood up as he turned around to fully appreciate my kneeling form. I would not give him the satisfaction.

"You know, for someone who doesn't care, you sure seem pissed off," I said as I shunpo'ed away. If I had stayed any longer, I was sure he would have forced all his reiatsu on me and I would have woken up on the floor – how undignified! I had also heard the familiar rustle of Byakuya's squad running to their taichou's aid when his reiatsu spiked. How did he expect me to believe he wasn't angry when he was acting so unlike himself, well at least not like the Byakuya I thought I knew.

* * *

When I eventually arrived at afternoon training with Jyuushiro, I noticed him speaking to Byakuya in the garden. I stealthily tried to get close enough to hear.

"If you knew of this development you should have informed me, Ukitake Taichou. I cannot be expected to effectively train her without all the facts," Byakuya coldly accused.

"Byakuya, I think you're blowing this out of proportion. Yes, I knew of her ability to regenerate quickly, but that's not because she told me, I knew it from the first time I had kicked her into a tree and she had cut her hand. If you had trained her as I had you, you would have found out a long time ago," Ukitake countered. "The secret, if in fact it was ever that, was not mine to tell," Ukitake's tone of finality was evident to Byakuya.

"You are all mistaken...I would not have revealed her secret to anyone, even if she hadn't asked me not to. I would not see her back with Kurotsuchi Taichou," he admitted.

"I know, neither would I," Ukitake agreed.

"Why are you hiding by this tree? I told you where Ukitake Taichou was," Kiyone spoke loudly enough to make sure I was found out.

"What you didn't tell me was that he was busy…with Kuchiki Taichou. I was just waiting for them to finish speaking," I unsuccessfully tried to explain it away.

"More like eavesdropping," she mumbled under her breath.

"What was that, Kiyone?" I inquired, as I turned to walk inside, purposefully not looking back at the taichous watching us. My black halter neck top felt suffocating due to my embarrassment.

"Oh, nothing. I guess I forgot Kuchiki Taichou was here," Kiyone lied.

I _'hmphed' _in disbelief. Kiyone never liked me. The wind blew around my pleated lilac skirt, and somewhat cooled my blush as I entered the sparing room.

"You train her in…_that_?" I heard Byakuya inquire.

"She gets hot. Training is very physically demanding," Ukitake explained.

When Byakuya left, I was reprimanded for eavesdropping – to Kiyone's delight. Ukitake's guilt trips were always more effective than anyone else's, but in my defense they _were_ talking about me.

Ukitake had changed into his training outfit, loose white pants and a simply tied top, like a real martial artist, and with Jyuu, training really was art, with so many nuances to learn I felt ill equipped to be training with him, and I would often end up on my ass yielding to his triumphant figure above me.

I loved training with Jyuushiro. It felt like he enjoyed my company, but he also did not hold back for fear of hurting me. I liked that he knew how to have fun, like when we played hide and seek in the garden instead of training. He later stated that it was to test my stealth, and shunpo abilities, but I knew it was mostly because it was fun. I really enjoyed every moment with him, I would often idle about after training, just to talk to him while he finished the squad's paperwork – Kiyone hated that.

The one thing I did hate was the way he would put his hand on my head at times, like I was a child who needed comforting. Once he had come back from his month long mission, he never held my hand like he used to – like he had detoxed himself of me. He rarely touched me when we weren't training, and I could understand why – of course we wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea. But he would affectionately put his arm around Rukia and Kiyone all the time, to show his affection for them. I suppose he _has_ known them for a lot longer, and I'm a crazy person who only brings trouble to all those they meet.

Koyraku Taichou had interrupted our training session this afternoon with a, "Could I steal, Ukitake for just a few minutes, Rien-chan?" and then promptly dragged Jyuushiro to a corner. I tried my best not to eavesdrop after my earlier chiding, but I could hear Ukitake laugh deeply and then a hushed 'No, I won't do it!' before Koyraku Taichou pulled his top off of him and shunpo'ed around the room. Ukitake laid chase only to have Shunsui throw his top in the pond outside.

Koyraku Taichou shunpo'ed back into the room, Ukitake following him. "That's what you get for being a liar," was all Koyraku Taichou said. Ukitake gave his oldest friend the dirtiest look I had ever seen him give anyone. "Rien-chan, don't trust a word Jyuu says to you," Shunsui laughed and hid behind me. Koyraku Taichou was always so playful.

Jyuushiro appeared in front of me, a thin sheen of sweat on his defined and muscular torso. I heard an audible _gulp_ and hoped it wasn't me. "Rein-chan, I hope I was right when I told Ukitake that you'd be mad if you found out he was giving you any special treatment," Koyraku Taichou inquired, with an air of mischief in his tone.

"Su…sure," was all I could manage.

"Rien, don't listen to him, he's full of…"

"Hey, Ukitake! Don't be so mean!" Koyraku interrupted. "Ukitake runs a little hot, always has," Koyraku Taichou explained while still hiding behind me and holding onto my shoulders, "and in all the years I've known him, I have never seen him train with anyone while wearing a shirt – so you can imagine my surprise when I saw him training with you…in a shirt."

"Oh…" my mind was a blank. He was gorgeous. _If I looked like that, I would walk around naked._ The thought made me blush slightly, turning my golden skin copper.

"Was I right to tell Ukitake that you wouldn't want any special treatment?" Koyraku Taichou inquired again.

"You're completely right, and I hope Ukitake Taichou was not making himself uncomfortable on my account." I tried to regain some of my senses after inadvertently being shaken like a doll by Koyraku Taichou. My blush cooled. "Jyuu, you asked me to wear what was comfortable, I can't believe you wouldn't do the same. I'm kinda mad at you," I said as I punched him in the arm, and immediately regretted it. Damn, he was certainly beautiful! His body begged to be touched, and I noticed my hands clenched into fists at my sides, trying to hold myself back, and then my devil's advocate suggesting that one touch wouldn't hurt anyone.

It was certainly going to be distracting from now on, but what was I going say! _Jyuu, I can't concentrate because you look like that._ Yeah, that would have gone down nicely.

"I'll be seeing you later, Jyuu," Koyraku Taichou said as he hastily exited.

I tried not to, _not stare_ and make it too obvious that I was, well…staring. If I avoided looking at him, he would think I was uncomfortable, but I felt like my gaze was too eager for the sight of him. I knew he felt it too. I felt like covering my eyes with my hand, out of shame for their betrayal of me.

The tension in the room was thick and filled with things neither of us would admit to. A common occurrence when I was around anyone with a whisper of affection for me. They all wished they didn't feel it, and at times, so did I.

"Forgive him, Rien, Shunsui lost his mind a long time ago," Jyuushiro explained. The room felt suffocatingly silent. "Excuse me while I change," he offered.

"There is no need. It just caught me off guard," I assured him. What had really caught me off guard were these feelings for him. He had tried to make himself into an asexual teacher for me, so I could concentrate, so I wouldn't feel this, my true feelings for him, just as strong as they had been when I had awoken. He had almost succeeded in his task, I had felt nothing but friendship from him for such a long time that I thought that he was over whatever small affection he had had for me. And maybe he was, but I obviously wasn't. How could I have feelings for him? I'm sure it's just normal to find someone as attractive as him…_alluring_. Renji and Ichigo were considered attractive, but they did not evoke anything like this in me. How was I to make sense of any of this with Jyuushiro's shirtless form in front of me!

"Hey, there's no need to hide behind your fringe," he suggested as he brushed it away and held my face in his hand. My recent tendency to avoid things that made me uneasy was evident to him. Perhaps Byakuya's ill-advised traits were rubbing off on me. The Rien I used to be would have never acted in this way, never concealed her emotions, never tried to pretend that she didn't have feelings for someone. Was I a traitor to authenticity, or just growing up?

I hugged him, because that's what I wanted to do from the start, and it was only my learned nobility that was stopping me – and what was that worth? _Nothing_. I placed my ear flat against his chest, and listened to his strong heart beating, my arms held him tightly, like he would pull away.

"Why have you been so distant, Jyuu?" I finally asked what I had been wondering for the past three months.

"Because this is complicated, and will definitely end in tears," he finally said as his arms encircled me.

"You're probably right," I agreed as stood on my tip toes to kiss him lightly on his soft delicate lips. "See you tomorrow, Jyuu," I tried to smile as I peeled myself off of him. He was drenched in a look of shock; he let me slip out of his arms, and I slowly walked to the door. "And no shirt tomorrow, perhaps repeated exposure will immunise me to the effect," I more confidently smiled this time, and left to see Renji, my only confidant.

I wasn't a traitor to authenticity, I realised, I had just grown up. This wasn't a game grown-ups played to heighten anticipation; it was the steps any honourable human being would take to prevent needlessly harming someone they cared about. He was right, this would end badly as long as I couldn't give myself to anyone but Byakuya.

* * *

I had decided that if I could not find love and happiness in this world, then at least Rukia should, she and I had become much closer over the last six months while I had been held hostage at the Kuchiki manor. She constantly had either Renji or Ichigo looking longingly at her, and she remained almost completely oblivious to it all. She was like her brother in this respect, she just wanted time to stand still, to maintain the current status quo, but a life without change is impossible, and even if it were possible, it would be pointless. She would not head my urgings to explore her options, perhaps I had too much of Yoruichi in me, or perhaps I just wanted to live vicariously through her.

Ichigo needed no help in the romance department; he was affectionate towards Rukia, who always dismissed his advances. This led me to conclude that she may have been waiting for my red-headed brother to make his move. When she spoke of her childhood friendship with Renji, it always seemed like she was talking about so much more, and all her childhood tales were excessively Renji-infused. Rukia was as stubborn as her brother, and would not be moved on the matter – was it that unthinkable to ask a boy out on a date, or perhaps it was just not noble. Renji was a much more malleable subject, his tendency towards impulsivity leading him straight into my hands.

"Not yet," Renji insisted. "I have to first be worthy. Byakuya would never agree to it."

"You're not asking Byakuya out on a date, though that would be amusing, and if you ever decided to, I'd pay to be there – you're asking Rukia out, or you will lose her soon. Trust me when I say that she is almost at the point where she has convinced herself that you are not interested in her and just want to be friends," I pleaded with the suddenly too-cautious Renji.

"Where will we go? What if Byakuya finds out? She'll never agree to it," Renji argued.

"You will never know until you ask," I encouraged. "I'll help you in any way I can – set up, advice, whatever."

"Thanks, but...You Know, maybe yer right, friends should support eachother, and I know you're suggesting this 'cause ya can see that I'm kinda down, and come to think of it, I've also noticed the same about you. I often see you moaping about feeling sorry for yourself, and sometimes I feel like I also wanna help." Renji's vampiric grin was out in full force by now, and it made me very apprehensive about where he was going with this. "How about we make a deal, if I ask Rukia out on a date, then you have to go on a date as well. Deal?" he challenged.

"Um...I don't think that's such a great idea. Maybe we should deal with one date at a time. I'm not _that_ unhappy anyway, and I'm not the one who may lose the love of their life. I don't have a love life, and anyway I wouldn't know what to do with one of my own. I have been honest about my feelings. Rukia should know how you really feel about her." I didn't want to date anyone, except...well, no one available that is. I wanted to live vicariously, and that's difficult to do when you actually have a life of your own.

"Well, both our happiness' are in your hands. I could be asking Rukia right now..." he dramatically paused, "but I guess not," he triumphantly looked in my direction.

"Fine! It's stupid, but fine, if that's what you want," I conceded. I wasn't gonna let him hide behind that excuse. Me venturing out on a date would be worth it if it finally got them together. "I better be named god-mother of your children for this!" I added.

Come to think of it, I had never been out on a real date, with someone I don't know. Dates with Ishida were, well with a friend who knew my every like and dislike, and were never called dates. If I had the choice of who to love, it would have been him. We were perfect for eachother, so alike in every way – but then again, maybe that was the problem. Inoue and Ishida were in fact very right for eachother and I was happy for them, except when my envy had to be witness to their happiness. I wished Renji a similar type of happiness, a happiness he denied himself due to honour – her honour. She would not refuse him, _if_ he ever ventured to actually ask.

We brainstormed for a while about where he should take her and what he should say, and I felt it slowly dawn on him that he was finally going be rid of a secret he had been keeping for over a hundred years. He slowly became increasingly more nervous and started trying to back out of the deal. "A deal is a deal, it would be cowardly of you to back out, don't you think?" I taunted.

"Okay, but then I have to avoid Byakuya. Taichou has a way of just seeing right through me. You know the look. He'll know as soon as I walk in the room, and then I'll chicken out. I can't tell you how many times I've been about to tell Rukia how I feel, and there he'll come out of nowhere, and that will be the end." He looked pale and terrified at the thought.

"Well, its afternoon now and you're unlikely to see him again. Didn't you guys just finish bankai training, and tomorrow is the blossom festival, and all of Seireitei is off from work. It's the perfect time for a date. If there's anything I can do to help, just ask," I offered.

"Well, he just left for home, and this training report arrived late. He's expecting me to deliver it to him now. He doesn't like people he's not familiar with in his home, so I can't really get anyone else to deliver it," Renji explained, more than subtly hinting.

"Can't I deliver it? It's just for him to read, right? I think I'm _familiar_ enough with him, so he won't be freaked out if I say I ran into you and since I was going home anyway, I decided to save you a trip." Renji threw his arms around me.

"You can pay me in hugs and kisses later," I teased.

"What's he paying you for?" Rukia inquired, with an indulgent smile.

"For being a man," I cryptically offered. "Anyway, gotta go make deliveries," I snatched the training report and took this as an opportunity to leave them alone. Renji's look pleaded for me to stay, but change is always scary, and I was almost certain his fear would be rewarded on this occasion.

* * *

I hadn't been home all day, but when I arrived the Kuchiki manor had been transformed, like a festival was about to occur. All the servants were concentrated at the front of the manner, and most appeared too busy to talk. I finally snatched an unfamiliar old lady holding baskets of painted lanterns. "I'm looking for Kuchiki Taichou?" She said something about the 'Imperial Wing' and vaguely gestured in a direction, she didn't really seem interested in helping. I decided to walk in the pointed direction and try to find him on my own. I passed countless never seen before servants who all looked extremely busy and stressed. I remembered Rukia saying something about it being Byakuya's favourite holiday, and that he usually went all out, but this was madness.

I had been walking for two minutes without seeing anyone else, and was beginning to think I had made a wrong turn somewhere. I would have turned back if I had known where to turn and if this never-before-seen wing of the house were not the most breathtaking. I just walked around for another two minutes, mouth agape, and started checking all the rooms. I thought about calling out for him, but it would be useless because he would never demean himself to answer. Although I had never been to this part of the house, it started to feel familiar. I eventually saw a room with an open door. _Finally_! I thought.

I peered around the door when no one invited me in, only to find that the room was empty. It was a beautiful room, and so familiar. I stepped inside. Maybe I could just leave the report on his low desk. I would prefer to avoid him after this morning and the eavesdropping incident. I thought about leaving a note to say 'From Renji' or something, but as I bent down, all the writing instruments on his desk looked like expensive calligraphy pens and paper, which would be a shame to waste on such a short note. Maybe I should write a longer note...

While I pondered what to write, I started to look around the room. It began to occur to me that it didn't look like it was an office, given away by the bed on the one end of the vast room, and the hung up haori. Maybe I shouldn't be here. _I should probably leave._ As I placed the report on the desk, I heard some movement behind me. I turned and scrambled back up only to knock someone over. We couldn't save eachother, and we both went down.

I felt a hand cradle my head as we hit the ground, my lilac skirt fly, and all the air escape my lungs. The wet dripping body on top of me wore only a towel. I opened my eyes to his damp hair clinging to the sides of my face, and my hands clinging to his arms for safety. I immediately let go, like I had been caught stealing. I would have apologised if I had had any breath with which to do it. I should have made light of it like, 'fancy meeting you down here', or 'we gotta stop ending up like this', but I couldn't think of anything. I felt stupid in his presence, like my IQ had dropped by a hundred and fifty points.

Byakuya gracefully stood up. Now I remembered why this had looked familiar. He offered his hand to me, and had I any sense I would have used this opportunity to apologise and show him I was competent enough to put one foot in front of another and walk out with some dignity. But, as I well knew, I have no sense of propriety. He effortlessly picked me up, like I was made of air, and the speed with which I got up made me even dizzier. I stupidly held onto him for stability, closed my eyes and blinked a few times.

"You should probably sit down. You do not look well," he calmly suggested.

_I should probably do a lot of things_, I thought, but all I could get out before I started coughing was, "I'll stand..."

Byakuya silently slid the inter-leading silk screen doors open, to reveal a comfortable lounge and en-suite bathroom. I saw a wet trail from the bathroom door – he must have rushed out when he heard someone in his room. He knew it wouldn't be a servant. He must of known it was me, I'm the only one without any reiatsu for him to sense. I should have left as soon as I realised it was his bedroom, but I guess I let curiosity get the better of me. Of course he would take a shower after training with Renji, but who could have foreseen that he would have an en-suite bathroom, or rush out in nothing but a towel!

"Some water, perhaps." He turned around, bent down next to the desk and poured me a glass, and as I regained my senses, I tried my utmost not to stare at his wet, glistening, almost naked body. "Drink this," he instructed as he went into the neighbouring room. I did as I was told, and thirty seconds later he emerged in a loosely tied, simple, glaucous-blue robe, hair still damp but no longer dripping.

"Have you recovered, or should we call a healer?" he stoically asked, as though I had simply fallen on the grass and hurt my knee.

I looked calm on the outside, almost dazed. I still couldn't draw any air, I felt like I was hyperventilating, like I was going to explode staring at his beauty. He was truly breathtaking. Just like this, no adornments, no title, no kenseikan, just beautiful. He looked his true age now, not the wise 60 year old he projected for others, but the youthful 27 year old he really was – in the prime of his life, but choosing to waste it away. People in Seireitei found it easy to forget his true age, unfairly treating him like an adult almost since birth.

I saw his lips moving but I could discern no sound. I had to concentrate all my energy into not staring and not passing out. He did not seem angry with me, though I felt angry with myself for putting myself in this situation. After today's events, I wished the ground would open up and swallow me whole. Then again, that's how I felt about most days.

Jyuu, now Byakuya…if this wasn't Murphy's Law, then I don't know what was. Looking at him like this, without his usual façade to shield me was like looking into the face of the sun. I was transfixed. I had long ago decided to respect his decision, but he certainly wasn't making it easy. This was what my life was now reduced to: him torturing me like this, or forcing me away with his cruelty. I would not meet his eyes as he spoke, and I felt him relish the power he had over me. I would not…I would not yield! I would protect him from the stupidity of my feelings for him. It was only natural to be attracted to someone so beautiful – and physical beauty I could handle, easily replacing him with someone else, but it was the touch of his soul that haunted me, the familiarity within each kiss.

"Excuse me Kuchiki Taichou, I have to return to Renji. I…um…Sorry, again, for everything." I couldn't breathe. I had been so stupid; to allow myself to remain so close to him all these months was stupid. I felt like crying but couldn't, I felt like I would be forever encased in a state of shock. How could I ever wipe this memory and all the memories before it from my mind? I needed to speak to someone, and Renji was my only option.

* * *

**Author's note**

Thanks for reading and for waiting so long for an up update. This is dedicated to all my reviewers, especially those that hounded me with encouragement. This chapter and, especially the next, have been so depressing to write. Please read both chapters in one sitting, if you can - it will be more coherent that way.

~ Willow~


	23. NOTHING Goes Without Saying

**Supernova**

_By Willow Athena_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach or any of its characters, but Rien and this story are definitely mine

**Author's****note:** This chapter is a THANK YOU to all my past reviewers. Forgive me, yet again. Both chapters should be read in one go, because there is no break in time. This chapter is not in Rien's POV. I have agonised over this chapter…I still don't know, but here goes nothing…

* * *

**CHAPTER 23 – NOTHING Goes Without Saying.**

Rien found Renji at the bar the fukutaichou's and taichous liked to visit. Renji was doing a good job of avoiding Byakuya, she could never imagine Byakuya in here – loud, noisy, dimly lit place that it was. Kyoraku taichou was singing loudly in a corner with some members of his squad, and members of the 11th squad. He waved furiously at her and then whistled, which is precisely when she remembered that she should have changed into her training outfit and out of her now damp, short, lilac skirt and black halter top. Byakuya would be mortified if he knew she had ventured out in public while not covered from head to toe. Perhaps it was an intentional defiance, she thought. She eventually found Renji nursing some sake, at a table all by himself, a broad smile on his face, head resting in the palm of his hand, and looking dreamily into space. Rien almost burst out crying when she saw him.

"What happened?" he tentatively asked, envisioning the worst – that it had all gone wrong somehow and he was now in trouble with Byakuya because Rien spilled the beans.

Rien said that she didn't want to discuss it. How could she explain what had just happened? "Don't worry, it's nothing to do with you," she assured Renji. "I just…I hate him! I want to live a life that is my own, not one tethered to his. I want to do something stupid and reckless…" She saw Renji's eyebrows lift in surprise. "I don't want to hurt myself, you idiot. I just want to really kiss somebody and have it returned, is that so much to ask for? To know that I drive someone crazy with lust, with love, with anything but friendship," She flopped her head down onto the table in defeat, flicking her raven hair everywhere.

"Sorry, Renji, I'm being selfish. How did it go? Did you ask her?" Rien pulled herself back up and out of her momentary moan. She had realised what a child she had been. Renji had waited almost a hundred years for Rukia, who was she to bring his obviously cheerful mood down. Her wait was nothing compared to his, but it was hard not to be egocentric when it came to love.

"I know I promised I'd ask her out, and I did, but..." Renji had not been prepared for Rien's determination.

"You agreed," she cut him off, "I ask someone out, and you ask her to the Rukongai blossom festival." Rien was determined, determined to forget Byakuya, determined to make this friendship work and keep her word. She would not pursue him anymore. She would live her own life, a life that had nothing to do with his.

"When I asked her, I wasn't sure if I'd made myself clear. I think it kinda sounded like we would be having dinner, as friends," Renji sheepishly admitted. It had been harder than he expected to ask Rukia, and he had found himself mumbling about how they should have dinner, like the old times, in Rukongai. Why had he ever suggested dinner tomorrow, and in Rukongai of all places? It would be madness, like it always used to be – loads of fun, but madness. Rukia seemed excited by the idea, her eyes had lit up, just as they used to. She had agreed, and Renji could have sworn he saw the beginnings of a blush, which made him start to blush as well, and they both consequently hastily parted ways. Byakuya would be too preoccupied to notice their absence tomorrow, he thankfully thought.

"Maybe _I_ should get to choose who you ask. Somehow this doesn't seem fair," Renji moaned, still beaming from ear to ear due to his triumph.

"Fine, who?" Rien demanded, utterly defeated by the day.

"Byakuya," Renji smirked.

"That would defeat the purpose of this, wouldn't it? How would I move on if I asked the guy I'm actually in love with, out!" Her irritation with Renji was perhaps uncalled for.

"Then Ukitake taichou," he insisted. If he had to do something this uncomfortable, then Rien should share the experience.

"No," she acknowledged her adoption of this familiar tone as something close to Byakuya's dry affectation – causing her hatred for him to flare up again.

"Awe, come on, you can't deny there's something there. I'm sure if you wait a little, Ukitake taichou will probably ask you himself." Their feelings for eachother were evident but tentative. Jyuushiro was too noble to hurt her, and Byakuya was too noble not to hurt her. She really couldn't win.

"We can't allow that to happen. What if I hurt him? I don't think I could handle that." She doubted that Ukitake taichou wanted anything to do with her, but there was an undeniable physical attraction, and he was such an honourable man that he made it difficult for women around him to resist. Whereas Byakuya used his honour as a ward, Ukitake's honour was bait, and made him almost irresistible.

"Whenever people care about eachother, there is always the chance that someone will get hurt. You can't stop going after the things you want just because it may end badly," Renji wisely offered.

"What better advice to follow than your own, Renji," she smiled as they discussed this at their vacant table in the crowded bar. Matsumoto came in with Isane and some of her other friends. Matsumoto was beautiful, and had a very commanding presence, most of which had nothing to do with her large breasts. Rien sighed at her beauty, her height, the fact that she was a fukutaichou, but most of all that Matsumoto could have anyone she chose.

"Abarai, are you in charge of protecting Byakuya's girlfriend again?" she laughed, obviously having started drinking long before she got there. She winked at Rien, not meaning any offence. "Or maybe you've secretly stolen her from under his nose," she snorted, and sat down at the table and the others took her lead. "Can't imagine why any woman would leave him though. Fucking gorgeous! Don't you think so, Rien?" Rien blushed and squirmed in her seat, remembering the sight and feel of him. "Drinks!" Matsumoto bellowed to the waitress.

She caught Rien's hand as she got up to leave, "Don't go, Rien-chan," she pouted. "We never get to see you without one or another taichou around you," she pleaded. Rien silently sat back down, it wasn't like she had some place better to be anyway. "Here, have a drink, tomorrow is a holiday!" Matsumoto insisted. Rien looked to Renji for direction. "Hey, don't look at him. Is he the boss of you?" she challenged. Rien picked up the drink shoved in her direction. She watched Matsumoto knock the drink back in one go and she did the same.

The look on Rien's face must have been comical because everyone at the table burst out laughing. It tasted awful, like liquid fire searing her throat and she felt the need to cough after, but she held it back. After a few more tries, Rien felt she was getting the hang of it.

"Maybe I should take you home. I don't think Byakuya would appreciate me bringing you home plastered," Renji suggested.

"I'm fine!" Rien protested.

"Fine now, but it's gonna catch up to you in a minute," he warned.

"Renji, stop being such a spoilsport. Let the poor girl have one moment of rest without you or someone else nagging at her.'' Matsumoto suggested.

Rien decided that Matsumoto had a point. It was always duty, honour and nobility wherever she went, and she was tired of it! "I'm staying," she declared.

"I still don't have a date to the blossom festival," Rien added, exaggeratedly sighing.

"Me either," Matsumoto sighed. "Taichou said he had better things to do than watch stupid flowers blossom. Everyone is going to Byakuya's party tomorrow night though." She slammed her fist down on the table. "Every taichou and fukutaichou is invited, but my taichou won't take me, and it's too tragic to go alone," she mock-sobbed. "Who are you going with, Rien?" Matsumoto inquired in hope.

"I haven't been invited," was her only answer.

"It probably goes without saying," Matsumoto tried to assure her.

"When it comes to Byakuya, I have learned that 'nothing goes without saying'. If he wanted me to attend I would have received something by now, or been commanded to be there, or however he chose to put it that day." It disheartened Rien that this was what her life was reduced to.

"Well the Seireitei blossom festival is during the day, and everyone is invited," Isane protectively interrupted. She was one of the few people who knew that Rien could withstand torture, and the mere fact that Rien was considering dating someone besides Byakuya, meant that she must have been in prolonged excruciating pain. Her sister, Kiyone, may dislike Rien, but Isane had witnessed Rien's pain and respected her for silently enduring it. "I hope to see you all there. Rien, who are you gonna ask to the blossom festival?" Isane inquired, beaming in her direction. Rien deserved to be happy, Isane thought, one way or another.

Rien looked around the room. It was mostly filled with fukutaichous and some third seats. "How about Ikaku? He seems friendly," Rien suggested.

_More __like__ – __safe_, Renji thought.

"He's already dating someone," Matsumoto informed them.

"Be serious, Rien. At least ask someone you think is attractive,'' Renji commanded, simultaneously insulting his long-time friend, Ikaku.

They heard a loud roar of laughter from behind them as Kira fell off of his chair. Hisagi helped him back up. "Hisagi is cute," she offered.

"Is that a question?" Renji laughed.

"Hisagi then," she decided. "What should I do?" she looked towards Renji.

"Don't look at me, I've never asked a guy out," Renji snorted.

"Somehow, I don't think you're going to have a problem. Your breasts aren't as big as mine, so I suggest you just bat your eyelids at him until he begs you to go with him," Matsumoto slurred. "Go on," Matsumoto pushed her, "it's the perfect time, he's going to the bar. Buy him a drink. If you don't, I will," she teased.

Rien walked slowly over to the bar constantly casting backward glances towards her friends. The bar was very busy, and it seemed like Hisagi was having trouble getting the bartender's attention. Rien stood next to him, and once again glanced behind for direction, but when she saw Matsumoto whistling, Rien promptly faced forward. She lightly coughed into her hand. Hisagi turned to see her standing behind a big brute of a man. He flicked the guy on the shoulder "Let the lady through," he commanded the lower ranking shinigami, who promptly moved aside.

"Thanks," Rien smiled at him. _Damn_, she thought, _forgot __to __bat __my __eyelids_. "How are you, Hisagi-san?" she attempted. How stupid, she thought. _Just __kill __me __now!_

He looked a little startled that she was speaking to him. "I'm well, thank you for asking Shihouin Rien-sama. I see you're with Renji and Matsumoto, lively, aren't they," he smiled his infectious smile at her.

"Yes, that's a nice way to put it. And please, call me Rien, just Rien, okay?" she beamed, remembering to bat her eyelids this time. He smiled but looked a little nervous now. Was she doing this wrong? He was exactly the right type of guy to piss the Shihouin family off with – Yoruichi would be proud, but that was not Rien's intention, just a happy coincidence.

"Can I help you?" the bartender asked her.

"Can I get you anything, Hisagi-san?" She was determined to do this!

"Oh, you really don't have to Shi... Rien," he replied while glancing around him. He noticed that almost everyone in the bar was watching them. He wondered if this was a practical joke or some plot to get him into trouble with Kuchiki taichou. But, looking into her eyes, he could tell that she would not do something like that.

"How about I buy you that drink?" he suggested. "Would you like to join Kira and I, though it's mostly gonna be me since Kira is almost unconscious?" he smiled, trying to shield her from everyone's stares. He ordered the drinks and led her over to his secluded table in the corner.

Rien almost silently sipped her drink, wondering how to approach the subject of a date. She wished she could talk to Yoruichi at this very moment. She would know exactly what to say and do, she would never be caught speechless like this. "What are your plans for tomorrow, Hisagi-san?" Rien hopefully sparkled.

"Nothing much, just looking forward to sleeping in for once," he replied, still aware of all the eyes in the bar being on them. He briefly wondered how long it would take before the news reached Byakuya, but that was before she leaned in and ran her fingers through his hair. The vulnerable quality of her electric blue eyes combined with the soft feel of her skin was hypnotic, almost irresistible. Whatever hope he had of denying her was now gone.

"You had a peanut shell in your hair," she explained. The rest of her words were a blur while he savoured the feel of her skin on his.

"Please, call me Shuhei," he dreamily replied to a question she did not ask, and completely missed the question she did ask.

"Okay, so what do you say, Shuhei?" her voice was full of optimism.

"About what?'' he was a little confused, and sure he had missed something.

"Um... the blossom festival tomorrow?" she sounded uncertain again.

"Yes," whatever it was, he was willing.

"Oh... um, that's great, I guess. You can pick me up at noon, if you want." She was more nervous now than ever. She had succeeded, now all she had to worry about was what to do on a date. She got up from her chair, as did Shuhei. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then," she feebly offered, unsure of what else to do, almost wanting to run away. She held her hand out to shake his, but instead, he held it in his and kissed it. He decided that if people were going to talk, they might as well have something good to talk about. She giggled at the gesture, and that alone was worth it.

* * *

Hisagi arrived at the Kuchiki manor at 11:55, to Byakuya's surprise. "Was there something you wanted to inform me of, Hisagi?" Byakuya inquired.

"No, Kuchiki taichou. I'm…just here to pick Rien up," Hisagi explained, feeling more than a little uncomfortable under Byakuya's glare.

"What for?" Byakuya pressed, in precise and distinct words, wanting to make sure he was getting this right.

"For our d... date," he gulped, feeling like now was a good time to run. He had never taken the rumours of their relationship seriously before this moment, but looking at Byakuya now, his actions were definitely that of a jealous boyfriend. But he was more dangerous than any mere boyfriend, he was a taichou...he was Kuchiki taichou!

Byakuya had assumed that she would have no date, and would simply attend the blossom festival with him. His sudden irritation at this startling new discovery was almost unbearable. He contemplated sending Hisagi on a mission far, far away, but he resisted the impulse and denied every emotion coursing through his veins. "Be sure to keep her safe, I would hate for our training to be delayed due to an injury," he coolly stated before leaving the room.

Rien emerged a few moments later, ready for her date, and completely unaware of the entire interaction.

Rien's date with Hisagi was filled with an expected amount of nervousness, and he was always a gentleman, but they both struggled to ignite a spark that just wasn't there. Their conversation was commonplace and often revolved around amusing stories of their mutual friends. Rien noticed Hisagi's inclination to talk about Kira, regardless of the topic. She wondered if Hisagi was consciously aware of his feelings for Kira, but maybe it was just strong friendship and she was reading far too much into it, but somehow, she doubted it.

Hisagi returned her home that afternoon. As they stood outside the Kuchiki manor, Rien was a ball of nerves. Matsumoto had suggested that she kiss him, that that is how all real dates ended, and that she would never really know if they were compatible until she kissed him. Secretly, Matsumoto just wanted to know if she would do it, and what it would be like to kiss Hisagi. This was the first formal, 'real' date she had ever gone on, and she found that she didn't really like the procedure.

"Thank you for a wonderful afternoon, and for accompanying me to the blossom festival," she smiled and batted her eyelids at him. Hisagi, having been on numerous dates, was well aware of these subtle hints and knew what was expected of him. He wished Kira was there to advise him at that moment. The date had proceeded as most first dates do, with awkward silences and tentative touches, but he felt her disappointment, like she had been expecting something different, something more - something rarely found on a first date – love. He wanted to kiss her, to drown in the feel of her soft lips as they parted to welcome his.

The sun had just set. It would be perfect, Rien thought, a kiss in the fading light of day. The front of the manor sounded empty; surely it would be ok to kiss him here. She closed the small distance between them. Hisagi was about to lean down and kiss her when a glint of cold steel caught his eye in the distance, in the shadows. His form was unmistakeable and so was the message he would not deliver in person - she was off-limits. She was _his_, even if she didn't know it.

Hisagi bent down and kissed her cheek, inhaling her lavender scent as he did. "Thank you for the pleasure of your company, and good luck…with everything," he whispered in her ear as he lingeringly hugged her goodbye, a little too greedy to immediately release the luscious strawberry scent of her hair.

Rien felt stupid. She should never have assumed that he liked her enough to kiss her. His feelings for Kira were obvious. But, then again, she knew he had gone out with girls before, perhaps he just did not like her, she knew he found Matsumoto attractive, but then again, who didn't. That was the most plausible reason – she was nothing interesting, and really did not have much to offer anyone. She resigned herself to this explanation, how could she have been so arrogant as to have thought he would kiss her. Almost every man she had ever kissed had only done it to save her or himself, or through lack of choice.

She slowly walked back to her room to nap, thinking morose thoughts all the way there, and ignoring the busy atmosphere of the servants. She was nothing special, she decided. It was nothing to brood over; it was just a fact – a fact which had eluded her notice until this moment. It would be another childish waste of time to feel sorry for herself, at least now she knew – she was unattractive. Everything started to make so much more sense. She wasn't blind; she admitted she was pretty, just not sexy, enticing, appealing or alluring. When someone helps save your life, what else do you feel but gratitude, that's all Jyuushiro felt – gratitude. She could not account for Byakuya's capricious nature, perhaps he just enjoyed torturing her.

Speaking of the devil, there he stood outside her bedroom door, the epitome of perfection. "I was just checking that you were not unwell, after yesterday," he explained. She noticed his hands behind his back, holding a small box.

"I am in the mood to do something extremely reckless, and as such, it's not the best time. Thank you for your concern," she declared as she walked past him and into her bedroom, only to find a trail of sakura petals all the way up to her bed, and then delicately scattered over a large box. She turned to Byakuya, who looked as surprised as she was. Of course, why would he ever bother to get her a gift?

Rien couldn't help but smile, it was the perfect thing to brighten her mood – a present! She bounded up to the bed. As she was about to open the large ribbon tied box, Byakuya stopped her, firmly holding her wrist. "It could be dangerous. It could be a trap," he warned. The Kuchiki manor's defences were impeccable, no one could have gotten in without him knowing it, and they certainly wouldn't go through all the trouble to break in just to leave her a present.

"I'll take my chances," she said as she jerked her wrist away from him, steel entering her voice. She really was in a reckless mood, he thought. She pulled the olive green ribbon of the box and opened it. On top of tissue paper lay a card, which Rien held close to her while opening the tissue paper to reveal an expensive green and white kimono. Rien held the silk up to her face to revel in the luxurious softness. Byakuya studied her, becoming increasingly uncomfortable in anticipation of the possibility of being discovered alone with her in her bedroom. Byakuya watched her read the card, and smile as she finished it. There was a softness about her that was almost irresistible when she was happy. He wished he were the reason for her happiness, but he could not allow himself that luxury when so many people depended on him.

"Do you like it?" Ukitake's deep baritone rang in her bedroom doorway.

"I love it," she replied as she ran up to hug him. "But I cannot accept it," she explained as she squeezed him, then let go.

"Excuse me, I have a number of things to see to before all our guests arrive," Byakuya felt the undercurrent of irritation he had been fighting all day flare up in Ukitake's presence. His every attempt to enjoy his favourite holiday with Rien was thwarted at each turn, first Hisagi, now Ukitake...Byakuya was about to invite her to be his guest tonight at _his_ blossom festival. He did not consider it a date, she lived there, it was only polite to invite her. Now that Ukitake had upstaged him, his inexpensive gift seemed worthless. What would the first blossom of the season be worth...it seemed a silly thought now.

"Sorry, Byakuya, I thought I'd come early and ask Rien to be my guest. I hope I am not intruding?" Ukitake warmly smiled.

So, Ukitake was actually going to go for it, he was going to fight for her, Byakuya could see the determination in his eyes. This was a sign of war, Byakuya decided. Uncertainty was not a good position in war, if you didn't know where you stood, someone else would decide for you, they would defeat you with determination.

Byakuya had never truly been defeated, but he was unsure if he even wanted to enter this battle. He could no longer deny his feelings for her, not after today, there was something strong there, a feeling he couldn't shake when he was with her. His most pressing problem was that he always wanted to be with her – always! He also didn't want anyone else to be with her, it had tortured him to see her with Hisagi that afternoon. It would kill him to have her love someone else.

"You are a welcome guest Ukitake Taichou," Byakuya replied with a hard set to his serene features. Ukitake read the resolve underlying Byakuya's tone, and he was almost glad to have an opponent.

Byakuya was about to leave when Rien put her hand out to stop him, she turned over her shoulder and shyly smiled at him. "Could I please have a moment of your time, if it's not too much to ask, Byakuya?" she shyly inquired. "I just need one minute with Ukitake Taichou, and then I will be back. I promise not to take up too much of your time," she implored.

"As you wish," he answered in a cold and distant tone, almost accusing her of making him feel this way, for making him feel at all.

Rien walked Ukitake to under the sakura tree outside of her room, Byakuya feigned indifference from inside her room – considering just leaving, but he had given his word that he would wait.

"I can't accept the gift, it's too beautiful," Rien began.

"You must, and it's not nearly as beautiful as its recipient," Jyuushiro flirted as he caressed her cheek. Byakuya wanted to beat him into the ground for touching her. He paced further into the room, where they would not be able to see his irritation, and where he would not see and do something he would regret. He kicked a book lying on the floor – she wasn't the neatest of people, embracing chaos rather than order – it was the book he had seen her sometimes write in, lying open on the ground. The reiatsu supressing collar had almost flown out of it. He picked the book and the collar up, to put them away of course, well at least in the pile they had previously been on. He saw too much before he closed it and placed it on top of the pile of books. He would never intentionally read it, he had had many opportunities before this to do so, but he could not get the repeated phrase out of his mind now that he had seen it – both pages just had the same few words repeated on every line.

'_He doesn't love you'_

Byakuya's heart ached. He was unsure about his feelings for her, but he did not wish her this much pain. He closed his eyes to push the thought away, only to have Senbonzakura whisper in his ears, _'__You __love __her__'_. His zanpakuto was becoming far too bold recently.

"No, I will not!" was Byakuya's only response.

'_You __already __do,__'_ came the insistent reply.

Byakuya saw them still talking, and was about to leave, but his honour kept him in place – he had promised her he would not leave.

"Jyuu, don't do this. It is against your better judgement. Don't let my impulsivity sway you," his sudden change of heart made her almost regret the chaste kiss she had given him yesterday. She had been too caught up in the moment, and she had let her heart run ahead of her head. "You are right to guard your heart from me. How are we to judge if what we feel is real when my Ki courses through your veins. How could we not care about eachother?"

"That's what I also thought at first. That's why I distanced myself from you, but yesterday…it's more than that. I do care about you. I want to give our feelings a chance to grow into something more – I won't be held back by fear anymore." Rien could see his determination, and he certainly had a point. Did they not both deserve to be happy? Jyuushiro knew he would be better for her than Byakuya, he would never intentionally hurt her like she was hurting now.

"I have lived a life of privilege that I have not earned. But I have vowed to earn it from this day. You must give me time to earn the right to your affections. If our feelings are real, they will stand the test of time. I will not hurt you. I am working on it, but I must first be rid of my feelings for him. I _will_ live a life that has nothing to do with him. I must!" she declared as she turned away from him. "I will not be going to the Blossom Festival tonight, with anyone, but I appreciate the invitation. See you tomorrow for training," she decided. If she killed that part of her soul that loved Byakuya, then maybe she would have a chance to be worthy of loving Jyuushiro.

She was surprised to find Byakuya waiting, he hated waiting. She noticed he looked preoccupied, and slightly uneasy, like he was about to bolt at any second. "I really just wanted to apologise for yesterday. I did not mean to intrude, and I certainly didn't mean to knock you down. I'm also sorry about running away without saying this to you yesterday, and subsequently avoiding you," she admitted. He looked like he didn't care, his expression flat and unreadable, like he hadn't really noticed or been affected by her avoidance. She did not let his lack of concern deter her.

"I just wanted to clear up one thing with you." An uneasy nauseas feeling crept up in the pit of her stomach, an appropriate precursor to what she was about to reveal. "I devote all my waking hours to not loving you; every day that I am alive is a struggle not to be with you. I have resigned myself to this," she paused, the need to runaway almost too strong to resist. "This is a pointless thing to do, and I know you don't want to hear it, and you will never have to again…," she bravely walked closer to him and stood beneath his downcast gaze so he would have no choice but to look at her, "I love you," she whispered the forbidden words, her breath ghosting over his skin, not daring to even touch him. The quicksilver of his eyes melted in response, a soundless affirmation that she had to turn away from and ignore. She promptly turned around and took her boots off and left them at the door, removing her red coat in the process and hanging it up. "I just thought it shouldn't go without saying anymore," she continued in a matter-of-fact tone. "Your feelings are well known to me, and I have no illusions of affection. I admit that I have in the past interpreted things to suit my imagination, I know now that what I see in your eyes is just a reflection of my own desire, and not a projection of your love," it hurt her to say this, and she barely believed it. "My greatest wish is your happiness, and if I could give Hisana back to you and Rukia, I would. I will grant you the only thing you have ever asked of me, for me to live a life that has nothing to do with you." It was an empty, suffocating pain that stole away her voice, as she fought against her quivering resolve.

There was just empty silence which followed her words. He looked angry – was he angry that she had dared to speak Hisana's name? This would have been Rien's interpretation of the situation, but she would have missed the mark completely. He had never hurt someone so deeply. No one had ever willingly given him this much power over them, and he was enraged that he had abused her trust so devastatingly. He watched her, almost absently taking note of her pulling off her gloves and avoiding his gaze. Her downcast gaze noticed his fisted hands at his sides – she would have given anything for the courage to unravel them and kiss his palms. She avoided ever touching him these days, his mere presence was torture, his touch would have been the final blow. She watched him remain frozen at the foot of her bed, the both of them trapped in this moment.

The turmoil in his heart raged on. Was it fair to expect her to love him for eternity with no reward, no return of her affections? He could not be cruel to her any longer, but choosing to love her would have chaos reign down on the Kuchiki Clan. He had given his word to not let his family down again, never again to go against their wishes. The Shihouin Clan would never allow it either, relations with them were already strained due to Rien not being able to call her zanpakuto out. The two clans were barely on speaking terms, only Rien's presence and loyalty to him kept the Shihouin clan from declaring war. They would never stand for him taking her away from them and making her apart of his family. It would never work, he knew this, but he also knew that if he ever gave her any indication that he may feel the same about her, she would never let him go – it was comforting to know someone loved him so much, but his comfort was her torture. He had to let her go!

Her heart was dying a silent death, and becoming reckless in the process, too truthful. "You will probably strike me down for saying this, and perhaps I'm the only one that thinks this, but…she should have loved you more – you deserved better, even Rukia loves you more. But I know you loved her, and for your sake I wish she had given more of herself to you. If Hisana is your only true love, then she has ruined you like you have ruined me. I now understand it. I will never love again – maybe I'll be in relationships, but it will never come close to this. It's nice that you still love her so much," Rien tentatively spoke from the doorway, fearing and hoping that he would leave, so she would stop pouring out her soul to him. Maybe she just wanted him to strike out and kill her, so she could finally be at peace.

"The guests have started arriving. I must attend to them. We will speak later," he dispassionately commanded as he exited her bedroom, finally unfrozen from his reverie.

"Tomorrow perhaps," she countered, "I will not be attending your blossom festival," she added with a sigh. It almost made him smile to know she had turned down Ukitake's invitation, but his smile was leeched away before it was even formed. Was it fair to condemn her to isolation when his affection was so near? Was the cost of one kiss from her worth the price? There was the possibility civil war, lives would be lost, he would be accused of seducing her. Both their families would lose so much, was she willing to pay that price? Honour and nobility did not come cheap, it came at the cost of love. They would come to resent eachother in time, if their love had come at the cost of others.

"I will meet you here after the festival," he decided. He owed her something akin to an explanation for all the pain he had caused her. They could never be together and she deserved to know why. Perhaps this knowledge would ease her pain.

* * *

Byakuya's blossom festival was a many splendored wonder, where every guest felt at ease and special, so unlike Byakuya's usually frigid welcome, like you were putting him out by just being there. Wine and sake flowed like a river between conversations, lubricating the social interactions, making everyone forget Aizen's plot to throw them all into hell once he became Soul King.

Byakuya enjoyed seeing all the taichous around him enjoying themselves for once, he knew it would not last long, considering the numerous battles they had ahead of them. His joy was incomplete because she was not there to share it with him, every time someone walked into the garden area, he anticipated her presence. She really was ruining this entire day for him. He contemplated what he would say to her later, how he would firmly and decisively let her down without being harsher than he needed to.

He saw her saunter in at that very moment, on Soi Fon's arm, the both of them whispering to eachother. In that moment his heart leapt out to touch hers and he felt his resolve crack. _It__'__s __impossible_, he reminded himself. Rien avoided his gaze as Soi Fon greeted him, merely bowing herself. He watched them make their rounds, only to find a seat next to Ukitake taichou. His jealousy flared up again when Ukitake held her hand up to his lips and kissed it, lingering far too long.

As Soi Fon was dragged off by Nanao, who wanted to discuss the Shinigami Woman's Association's next calendar, Rien was left alone on the bench with Ukitake Taichou. He smiled at her and knowingly arched his eyebrow.

"She is my family, I could not refuse her invitation," Rien defended.

"I didn't say anything," he smirked as he slid his arm around her shoulder, and tentatively played with her hair to gauge her reaction. She didn't recoil, it looked like she barely noticed, and he was unsure if this was a good thing. Her eyes were looking everywhere but in Byakuya's direction, and Jyuushiro wondered what had transpired after he left. They silently sat on the bench under the sakura tree, enjoying the beautiful night, and the comical sight of some of the taichous and fukutaichou's singing karaoke and others dancing to it.

Soi Fon came back with Rien's wine and Jyuushiro excused himself to give them time alone. He didn't want to be too obvious about his affection for Rien until his prize was secured. He was determined to give her time to come to the obvious conclusion that he was the better man for her. He would never hurt her, she was something far too precious to him. He had been thinking about _really_ kissing her all day, just to remind her of the feeling he had tried to banish from his heart when she had awoken. But she wanted time, and he was too much of a gentleman not to give it to her. At times he wished he could be impulsive, and just take what he wanted, but he would much rather that she gave herself willingly to him, and he would do the same. He would never hold back, once he was in, he was in all the way. She was right though, she first had to be rid of her feelings for Byakuya.

"What was that about?" Soi Fon inquired once Ukitake Taichou had left.

"Nothing really, I'm just confusing everyone around me. I wish I could go home to Yoruichi. She just has this way of making everything seem simple, even if it's not," Rien sighed, and lay her head on Soi Fon's shoulder.

"I know what you mean," Soi Fon agreed. "I have often wished Yoruichi would return to Seireitei, so things could return to normal. She is the head of the family, and should be here, leading us in the right direction," she dreamily looked out into the distance. "She would be a far better teacher of shunko than I. You have come far, but she would have been able to call out your zanpakuto by now. Kuchiki Taichou is too lenient on you, and the elders do not appreciate his laxness," Soi Fon revealed.

"You are a good teacher, but you're right, Byakuya does not push me hard enough, I can endure far more, but he is afraid to hurt me." Rein reflexively glanced up to see Byakuya begin playing his violin for the Captain Comander, Koyraku Taichou and some of the fukutaichous. The sound was haunting as he played it with his eyes closed, demonstrating his proficiency with the instrument. She had heard him play this song before, she had not known it was him at the time. She would often be woken sometime after midnight to the whisper of this melody on the wind. She looked around, made sure no one else was near, most people having congregated around Byakuya, she lay her head down on Soi Fon's lap, looked up at the stars, and began to softly sing so only Soi Fon would hear.

* * *

**Kiss The Rain – by Yiruma**

_(Verse1)_

Each time I close my eyes

I can see you smile

You reach out for my hand

And I'm woken from my dream

Although my heart is yours

It's hollow inside

I never had your love

And never will

**_CHORUS:_**

**And every night**

**I lie awake**

**Thinking maybe you love me**

**Like I've always loved you**

**But how can you**

**love me like I love you**

**When you can't**

**even look me straight**

**in my eyes**

_(Verse 2)_

I've never felt this way

My heart is so in love

To have someone there

Yet feel so alone inside

Aren't you supposed to be

The one to wipe my tears

The one that holds me close,

And never leaves

_(Verse 3)_

Your eyes like water, still

My reflection's there

I see you holding me

But then you disappear

All that is left of you

Is my broken heart

An empty melody, just for you

**_CHORUS:_**

**And every night**

**I lie awake**

**Thinking maybe you love me**

**Like I've always loved you**

**But how can you**

**love me like I love you**

**When you can't**

**even look me straight**

**in my eyes**

_(Verse 4)_

I don't know what hurts you

But I can feel it too

And it just hurts so much

To know I can't do a thing

And deep down in my heart

It's so clear to me

That no matter what

I love you

_(Verse 5)_

I often close my eyes

And I can see you smile

You reach out for my hand

And I'm woken from my dream

Although your heart is mine

It's hollow inside

I never had your love

And never will

...

So why do I still chase the rain?

* * *

Soi Fon started to silently cry, but Rien did not allow herself to shed the tears welling up in her eyes. "You…love him?" Soi Fon inquired as Rien sat up. Until this moment, Soi Fon had not believed the rumours – it was unthinkable, Rien would never be allowed to be with him!

"I do," Rien finally admitted as she finished her fifth glass of wine and then promptly downed Soi Fon's glass as well. "But it must end," she sighed as she picked up another glass of red wine from a passing servant. Soi Fon was thankful that Rien understood the impossibility of the relationship, and that she herself did not have to break the news to her.

"Should you really have another glass?" Soi Fon found it difficult to conceal her concern, anticipating one of Yoruichi's drunken stupors.

"It has little effect on me. It kind of tastes like juice – gummiberry juice, if I could hazard a guess at what gummieberries taste like," Rien explained.

This made no sense to Soi Fon, who was even more worried now that Rien had started to speak nonsense. Soi Fon protectively hovered but did not know how to intercede when Koyraku Taichou convinced Rien to do shots with him and Ukitake Taichou. "Don't worry so much Soi Fon, I made a pact to be reckless today, and until now, I was failing. I just want to keep my promise to him," Rien smiled. "I've been thinking…" words that often preceded trouble, "that maybe I should enter the Shinigami Academy, what do you think?"

"I think it's a good idea. You would do well to have teachers other than Kuchiki taichou, and I know the Shihouin Clan agrees," Soi Fon revealed.

"I know the Shihouin elders and Kuchiki elders often quarrel, and I don't want to give them any extra ammunition. Promise not to tell anyone...," she paused. "I feel like I'm getting nowhere in zanpakuto training, and I know why, I just don't know how to bring it up with him," she hiccupped the last few words, and Soi Fon rubbed her back.

"Maybe you should stop," Soi Fon suggested.

"Maybe you're right, I am kinda tipsy – finally!" she exhaled. Most of the guests had departed, since it was nearing 1 in the morning. Soi Fon offered to walk her to her bedroom, but Rien said that Byakuya would walk her, like he did every night.

Byakuya had noticed Soi Fon leave, immediately moving to Rien's side. "Do you wish to retire?" his voice sounded hollow and uncertain, not like his usual self-assured tone. The discussion they were about to have had plagued him all night, leeching away most of his enjoyment of the evening. He never indulged requests, except from the Captain Commander, and tonight had been his annual ordered performance. But this performance had felt like no other, he could have sworn he heard her voice in every note, he had closed his eyes and strained to hear the sound just beyond his perception, inadvertently forgetting everyone around him during his performance, until their applause set him free.

They silently walked besides eachother until they reached her bedroom. She quickly opened the door and pulled out the katana from just inside the door. "I have made a decision," she declared. Today had been a day of many decisions – if either of them had known what a trying day today would turn out to be, neither would have gotten out of bed. "I want to enter the Shinigami Academy. So, you see my predicament – I will not be allowed to enter until I have called out my zanpakuto. I want you to begin _really_ training me, it is the only way," she pleaded, unsheathing the katana. If she abruptly left his training, it would result in civil unrest, and he would be accused of incompetence, so she needed to at least call out her zanpakuto so she could leave and be free to join the academy. Away from _him_.

"This is not what we are meant to be discussing," Byakuya corrected.

"What should we discuss? That you don't give a fuck about me, and that it's impossible for us to ever be together – I accept it," the moment the words escaped her lips, she had known they were a lie – she still hoped for his love in the silences of her heart.

"You know I regenerate quickly. Attack me now, one real attack," she begged as she ran under the sakura tree outside her bedroom and assumed the defensive stance he had taught her.

"You will not be able to withstand the attack," he tried to reason with her, she now seemed tipsy, irrational, and in no condition to train.

"I'll make you a deal, if I can't withstand one attack, then you will _never_ have to hear about this again, but if I can stand up to one of your attacks, then we begin real training tomorrow. Come on, you have the upper hand, you could silence me on this issue," she baited him, deftly waving her katana around.

He considered it. He didn't need the upper hand, but she was right, one real attack would silence her on the subject – one way or another. He stepped off the porch and unsheathed his zanpakuto. "Chire, Senbonzakura," cold crept into every syllable as he held the blade in front of his immaculate face and released his shikai. The blade dispersed into its shower of petals and raced towards her. He saw her turn her back to the attack, perhaps he had misjudged the quickness of her shunpo, she was probably too slow to defend against his attack.

Byakuya's senbon blades twirled harmlessly around her as she turned to face him. Shock and betrayal saturated his expression. He could not fathom why the blades did not harm her, did not slice her to shreds. Was she hiding an ability he had not discerned, some sort of shield perhaps?

"This has nothing to do with me." She read his expression like the pages of her favourite novel, the warm familiarity of his micro-movements, like brail to her eyes. "It's you," an obvious remark, she thought, but he still looked perplexed.

"Although, you probably hadn't realised it until now, since that night when you pierced my heart, you would not have been able to hurt me again. Not a second blow," she hiccupped. "Like I said, it's not me, it's you," she giggled. "You regretted it," she paused. "You did not intend to hurt me, and…you did not want to injure me. Senbonzakura had never before sliced a target you had not intended to hurt. He became confused afterwards – he had never felt regret before." She paused to gauge his reaction, sampling his current mood, checking that he had caught on to what she was saying – but she was too tipsy to tip toe around the matter any longer.

"From now on, I would appreciate it if you would keep Senbonzakura with you at all times." Tears began streaming down her cheeks. "I hate him!" her fists pounded at her sides. "I hate you!" more tears escaped. "I hate that he is your reflection beneath that mask, that he says the things I wish you would say, that I sometimes forget that he is not you when he looks at me, that the only difference between you is your voice. I just HATE it!" she grabbed some of the senbon blades and threw them in his direction, the sudden rain hiding her new tears.

He allowed them to solidify into a blade once more, vowing to enter his inner world later and kill his traitorous zanpakuto. She shunpo'ed to him. "Hurt me," she pleaded, pulling at the folds of his wet clothes. She held onto the blade of his zanpakuto. "Kill me," she commanded, the blade not even bruising her skin as she pulled her hand over it. "You need more resolve than that to cut me. Stop regretting it. It was the right thing to do,' she cried, burying her head in his chest, the wet tendrils of her hair clinging to him as she had wanted to so many times.

"Do it! It's like when you lost to Ichigo, you didn't really lose, you never really wanted to hurt him in the first place – you wanted him to save Rukia, to do the thing you would not allow yourself to do." She felt him shake with anger. Good, she thought. She put her arms around him, hoping his resolve would strengthen, that he would lash out at her and end the eternal turmoil she was in.

"Chire, Senbonzakura," the whisper escaped through clenched teeth. He was losing control of his rising anger; Senbonzakura's protest rang in his ears as he imposed his immense will over his zanpakuto. That part of his soul rebelled, trying to tear itself away from him and reaching towards her. The blade turned into its shikai, the petals harmlessly flowing through her fingers. She released her hold on Byakuya, turning around, she sheathed the katana in one fluid motion.

"I'm done with this," she said, throwing the katanna near his feet, the rain mixing with the tears flowing freely from her eyes. She began to walk towards her bedroom, exhausted by the constant emotional turmoil.

"Chire," he commanded, robbing his zanpakuto of any remaining free will and binding its ability to materialise without his consent. The petals formed a wall in front of her halting her retreat. "We're not done training," he threatened with expressionless malice.

"I will not play your games any longer." Her determination was evident as she walked through the wall of petals. She was surprised by the superficial cuts the blades made on the palms of her hands as she brushed them aside. He was regaining control of his zanpakuto, she idly thought.

She ignored the katana thrown at her feet as she turned. "Very well, we will begin training tomorrow then," she agreed, flicking the katana up into the air with her boot, and deftly catching it. "I'm sorry to have kept it from you for so long, but how do you tell someone that a part of their soul loves you when the rest of their soul actively hates you? It is not an easy subject to approach. We will be completely honest from tomorrow, agreed?" She did not wait for an answer, she simply turned and entered her bedroom, and began removing her wet training outfit.

* * *

**Author's note**

Thanks for reading and for waiting so long for an up update. These chapters are so late, I can't even ask for reviews. This chapter was so depressing to write. Song: Kiss the Rain, by Yiruma (pianist), Lyrics mainly by Heine, with a few necessary tweaks by me – I think it sounds better this way, but that's just my opinion. Yiruma is FANTASTIC, check him out – I wish I had his talent. Forgive the formatting on the song, I tried to fix it, but it wouldn't correct itself. The next chapter was written over a year ago, so I will agonise over it until it does the story justice. I hope you enjoyed this instalment.

~ Willow~


	24. You Have No Right!

**Supernova**

_By Willow Athena_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach or any of its characters, but Rien and this story are definitely mine

**Author's****note:** I hope you enjoy these three chapters. Please read them all in one go if you can.

* * *

**CHAPTER 24 – You Have No Right!**

* * *

Rukia and Byakuya were already seated for breakfast the next morning, when Rien appeared at the door. Rien wore one of her training outfits with the blue inner lining and blue tights, her usual black and red training outfit, the only one made by Ishida, was lying in a wet crumpled heap on her bedroom floor. Rien had woken up naked, freezing, and on top of all her covers. She had dragged her feet getting ready that morning, feeling like death warmed up.

She appeared like a vision at the door, not a hair out of place, and had stalked in with such feline grace that it surprised the siblings, who had stopped eating to watch her performance until she floated to the ground in her place across from Byakuya – always across from him!

Her eyes lifted to find Byakuya staring straight at her, mesmerized. With a swift movement of her head, she flicked her fringe in front of her right eye, smiled and then closed her eyes in the usual way Byakuya did. The chef brought her breakfast in, and the disruption allowed the siblings to be released from her spell.

Her elegant hand wrapped itself loosely around her chopsticks and she simply pushed the food around. She said nothing, just stared past Byakuya, like she could see straight through him to the wall behind. Byakuya eventually looked up at her, confused by her strange behaviour, but his expression did not betray him. Rien was acting so unlike herself.

Rien and Byakuya continued to stare at eachother, neither relenting, as though their altercation from last night were silently continuing, slowly sucking all the air from the room, Byakuya beginning to leak reiatsu like Ichigo – uncontrolled, dense waves of power.

"Nii-sama…?" Rukia squeaked. And just as suddenly as they had begun, the waves dissipated, and he was in control again.

"Um…Ukitake taichou has requested that Rien shadow me for lunch time patrols today, in Rukongai, as a part of her training," Rukia attempted to sound serious and formal in front of her Nii-sama. They both turned to Rukia, as though noticing her for the first time. Rukia's light shone brightly from within, even though she tried to hide her blissful mood. It made Rien smile, momentarily forgetting the anger directed towards Byakuya.

"No," was Byakuya's dry and toneless answer. Rien's expression would have made anyone else shrink back in fear, but not Byakuya. "Please inform Ukitake taichou that he should have consulted me before making such a rash decision. Shinigami's have to go to the Shinigami Academy for a reason, and she is therefore not prepared. I will not consent to her being allowed to be a part of squad business," he looked stubbornly at Rien.

"H-Hai Nii-sama," Rukia squeaked, for the second time that morning.

"Don't 'Hai Nii-sama' him, Rukia," Rien tried to control her rage, but the grip on her chopsticks dangerously tightened. She squared her gaze directly on Byakuya. "Where do you get off thinking that you have any say in what I do and do not do? Who do you think you are?" she said through clenched teeth, leaning across the table until she was only a few inches from his face.

"No further discussion is necessary. You are under my care while you are here, and I have forbid you from going – that is the end," he calmly stated.

"You have forbidden me…YOU have forbidden ME!" she threw her chopsticks on the table and sat back down, away from him.

"Rukia," the manner in which Byakuya said her name startled her. He was emanating those uncontrolled waves of reiatsu again, and she found it difficult to concentrate. "Leave us," he commanded. Rukia hesitantly looked in Rien's direction as she bowed and left, defiance and anger coloured Rien's beautiful features.

"I am not Rukia, you cannot _forbid_ me from doing something," Rien clearly articulated each word once Rukia had left. "You are not my brother, we are not family…you have as much power over me as the ocean has over the moon," her anger leached into every word. She felt his reiatsu react in anger and instinctively push at her will.

"You will do as I have asked," acid coating each word.

"No, I won't," she defiantly insisted, pushing against the force he was applying with nothing but air, no reiatsu, just insubstantial air. "You have as much power over me as I give you, you would do well to remember that," she coldly informed him. His anger had gotten the better of him by now, he could not control the full force of his reiatsu any longer. He flung the table, having it hit the opposite wall, and fluidly stood up, fists clenched at his sides.

"I see it in your eyes, you want to protect me – but I do not require your protection. I do not need your concern, I am tired of it!" she explained in frustration. The whole manor could sense his murderous mood, but no one came to investigate for fear of falling unconscious due to the sheer magnitude of his reiatsu. They had all already learnt that lesson the first day Rien appeared. At least now she knew that if he ever decided to kill her, not to expect help from anyone in the Kuchiki household.

"We are strangers to eachother, what claim could you possibly have that would make me consider your _request_?" she pressed as she stood up to face him. Kuchiki Byakuya, 28th head of the Kuchiki Clan and Captain of the 6th squad, with his kenseikan, windflower scarf, and Captain's haori all signalling his authority and power to her, could not command one little ryoka. Why should he convince her? She should just defer to his superior judgement!

Silence and waves of angry, dense, powerful reiatsu were her only answer as Byakuya stood, frozen with rage. She turned to leave, stopping just before the door. "We understand eachother then," she said with determination as she stubbornly faced him, almost daring him.

"I will do as I please," she informed him, satisfied that she had made her point.

"No," he shouted, shunpo'ing to her, both is hands restraining her shoulders against the wall with as much gentleness as he could muster. It surprised her. She did not struggle, her anger momentarily forgotten and replaced with confusion. She had never heard him shout before. In fact, very few people ever had.

"You understand nothing," he continued to shout, shaking her slightly.

"Our fates have been sealed – I cannot turn back, ever since the day I…I kissed you," his anger ebbed, his reiatsu calmed, his voice trailed off into a whisper.

His left hand suddenly grasped her small right hand and placed it flush against his chest, between the open folds of his uniform. His heart became bold beneath her touch. His right hand flitted through her strawberry scented hair, causing her head to lift up towards his.

"Rien, I…," his heartbeat accelerated, he could hear the blood rushing in his ears, but he found it difficult to get the words out. Her eyes had melted from his touch, no longer able to sustain her anger when they were this close. She loved the way his lips caressed her name, with so much intensity it made her soul vibrate with joy. She instinctively held her breath as his slate eyes held hers, she could see the myriad emotions beneath his still surface.

"I cannot lose you," he admitted, his baritone vibrated around her in a whisper. He could not hold her penetrating gaze any longer, he had meant to say something different but he couldn't bring himself to do it, and he saw the disappointment in her eyes – an acknowledgement of his cowardice.

"I can no longer live in a world where you do not exist," his meaningful words fell on deaf ears. Anyone else would have been satisfied with this acknowledgement.

She shied from his touch and pulled her hand away from him. "That is not enough," she whispered back to him, her liquid blue eyes about to run as she shunpo'ed away. Her disappointment was evident in every word. _This __was __torture_, she thought.

Byakuya was surprised by her sudden exit, but most of all by her refusal to see things his way. He had thought an acknowledgement of any feelings he had for her would have been enough to persuade her to be cautious – so he could at least have peace of mind. He should not have even admitted caring about her safety at all – people could get the wrong idea, or perhaps they would hit too close to the truth.

He shunpo'ed to follow her, she could not have gone far. He was a_ shunpo master_, she could never run far enough to be out of his reach – he would never allow it. He was not sure what he was going to say, but he knew he could not let her have the last word on this subject. What did she mean it was not enough? It was far more than he should have allowed himself to admit. He had spent half a century not feeling anything – banishing himself to his numb, isolated world where no one could reach him. Why did she have to come along and antagonise him to anger, entice him into caring, and lure him into loving her? It was deeper than love he finally admitted to himself.

He needed her.

More than air, more than water, more than _pride_…He truly needed her. There is no place for pride when you need someone. Their continued separation was torture for them both, but at least he knew how she felt – he knew how much _she_ loved _him_. She was braver than him, he conceded as he flashed around looking for her – only then realising that her bravery would never allow her to run away. He shunpo'ed to the garden outside her bedroom.

He saw something strange at her bedroom door. His heart jumped into his throat, fear rose from some place deep within him – his recurrent nightmare was coming true. Rien lay unconscious in her doorway, her head on her hand, like a small pillow, hair all over the place. Byakuya shunpo'ed straight in. He called her name, hoping it was some strange joke, but she did not answer him.

He turned her around, moving her hair away from her face. Her skin felt cool and clammy. He called her name again, shaking her a little this time, but she gave no reply. He could not feel a pulse, could not see her breathe. If only she had some reiatsu, he would have been able to detect her condition.

He was unsure of what to do, all he knew was that he could not live without her. He placed a hand between her shoulder blades and lifted her body slightly up to his ear. The cleavage of her training outfit parted a little more due to the angle, giving him better access. Byakuya placed his right ear against her heart. He heard a shallow, erratic rhythm, almost undetectable…and then she coughed. Relief consumed him like a whirlpool, and he could have kissed her in that moment.

"What are you doing?" Rien groggily inquired. Her vision was blurry and unfocused as she slowly opened her eyes, but she could feel his warm ear against her chest and his cheek on her breast. She lightly coughed again and he slowly lifted his head, trying not to look at her.

"Hold on," he instructed as his arms went under her knees and behind her back. Her hands hesitantly snaked around his neck, lifting her face too close to his. He effortlessly stood up from his crouched position, as though she were as light as air. At this intimate distance, he could not hide the fact that he was blushing. Rien impulsively reached out and touched the light pink of his cheek. He turned towards her, their faces a breath away from eachother, he looked… _surprised_, and that's when she realised what she had done, pulled her hand away and put it back around his neck.

"Probably hit my head," she explained, half smiling as she rested her head against his shoulder and breathed deeply in. He smelt better than any cherry blossom she had ever sampled, he was the perfect mixture of something unexplainable.

He walked slowly over to her bed, and was about to reluctantly place her on it. "I wish you would stop wearing this," she suddenly said, touching the kenseikan. "You are so much more like yourself without it," she informed him as she withdrew her hands from his neck, and lovingly looked into his eyes. She knew he would forgive her for this presumption, and probably blame it on her illness, but she had to say something. She loved who he was, especially when he was not being who he thought everyone wanted him to be.

"I will call a healer," he gave as an excuse to cowardly run away and collect his thoughts. She had affected him far too much today, and he knew he could not trust his behaviour in her presence, especially when he had her all to himself like this.

"No, Byakuya, please," she implored as her small hand grabbed his. Rien rarely needed him, and it felt good to be with her when her guard was down, when she might do something they both would never regret. There had been so many opportunities already, but she hadn't taken advantage of one. Perhaps she was more disciplined than he was. He had wanted to kiss her when she touched his cheek, but she shied away when he turned, like she had done something wrong – it had snapped him out of his milieu of dishonourable thoughts.

Even just one kiss would cost them both. Over the last few days his need to be with her was insatiable. He wanted to be with her – mind, body, soul. She had his mind and his soul, it was just his body that he held back. _He_ was in control. Most of his thoughts were about her, the only time his soul knew peace was when he was with her, and his body…it ached to give itself to her.

"You are not well, I will not take the chance you will fall ill again," he stated, removing her cool hand from within his.

"I will not voluntarily remain," she argued, trying to get up from the bed. She was so headstrong and opinionated – her thoughts on things were often an amusing stream of consciousness and begrudgingly astute. Only she could make him angry enough to cause a scene, to lose control like that. He had almost kissed her then too. The feel of her hand on his chest had made all his inner conflict subside, and he knew he would wage war to have her.

"I could use kido to restrain you," he coolly stated, blocking her path. He chastised himself for behaving so cowardly earlier, he knew what it did to her when he teased her. He never intentionally meant to tease her, ever, but allowing himself a little bit of her love every now and then was like a guilty pleasure that sustained him, allowed him to continue resisting for the next two days, or the next hour, whenever he needed another fix. She successfully avoided ever touching him these days, and it had been driving him insane. She often found a way around any excuse he concocted to touch her, even feigning injuries so she could avoid training with him alone when Renji was away. Now that he knew of her ability to rapidly regenerate, he knew all her stories if injuries were just ploys to avoid him.

"I would hurt myself even more by trying to break free from the kido," she countered, trying to side-step him but her legs failed her and he caught her once more, unnecessarily carrying her the insignificant two steps she had taken , and placing her back onto the bed.

"Think about this, Byakuya, this would not look good. All the servants know we fought, and then I fall ill. We would never live it down," she explained while holding her throbbing head.

"I don't care how it looks, you need to see a healer," Byakuya insisted, only slightly raising his voice this time.

"If you insist I see someone, I will see Ishida," she finally conceded as she had to close her eyes due to the nauseating, intense pain pulsating from the base of her head.

"How would the Quincy be able to help?" Byakuya could not understand her request, and was instinctively irritated that she had asked for Ishida.

"I am apparently alive in some way, and he is a human doctor," she explained, sheepishly adding, "and I trust him completely."

"Very well, but if he cannot help then you will have no choice but to have Unohana taichou examine you," he bargained. She nodded slightly, sending another shooting pain down her spine. Byakuya turned to go and fetch Ishida.

"No. Please ask Renji to go, if he's available," she looked pleadingly at him. He saw the pain she was trying to conceal reflected in her electric blue eyes and decided against leaving her alone. He summoned a hell butterfly to inform Renji of what needed to be done.

He moved to the end of the bed, lifted her legs and removed her boots. Rien's protests that she could do that herself were stopped in their tracks by the no-nonsense look he gave her. He also insisted that she drink some water.

He removed his wrist-guard gloves and placed them on the bedside table. Her bed was like no other in the Kuchiki manor, he had requisitioned a replica of the Quincy's bed from surveillance photographs. He had not wanted her to want for any comfort in his home. Reports had stated that she spent more of her time in the Quincy's bed rather than her own, and he almost hadn't believed the rumours until he had seen the Quincy passionately kissing her and undressing her on his balcony. Byakuya should never have allowed himself the indulgence of checking up on her. He hadn't expected the scene to anger him as much as it had, he now knew his anger was mixed with jealousy that night. He had been in such a hurry he had messily shoved his gigai into Urahara's attic cupboard and threw the key in anger, vowing to never return to the world of the living. His anger had made him careless, and he had unwittingly let the arrancar slip through the hastily opened senkai. His only thought had been to escape from what he saw. He felt something for her, even then.

'_How __could __she __give __herself __to __him?_', he had wondered, over and over. And when he saw the Quincy with her after he had killed the sneaky arrancar, his anger had lashed out to kill the Quincy so he would never touch her again. But she had loved the Quincy so much, she had taken his place and broken Byakuya's heart with her confession.

'_How __could __she __profess __to __love __me __and __give __herself __to __him?__'_ he had wondered over, and over. He had been so plagued with regret, he had masked his reiatsu and gone to check her medical chart a few times while she was in hospital. He had thought she was recovering, he had even thought he heard her call his name, but he had dismissed it – he was too good at stealth for an unskilled, unconscious girl to know he was there. All he had wanted was for her to live, and once he was sure she would – he had immediately stopped visiting her.

Byakuya silently removed Rien's own wrist-guards from beneath the sleeves of her dress. An unnecessary accessory, Byakuya thought, but then again so were many of the things he wore. "Does the kenseikan make that much of a difference?" he uncharacteristically asked in that same dry tone.

"No, but it's what it does to you that makes all the difference," she sighed as she said it. "Without it, you are the man I love. _My __Byakuya_," she admitted, daring to look up at him with her liquid blue eyes as she said his name. The way she said his name always felt like chocolate dripping down the back of his throat, unexplainably decadent, and undoubtedly addictive.

"Without the kenseikan, or scarf, or haori, you are the _brother_ who cares about Rukia, who would do anything for her. The _man_ who cares about me, the one that would rather die than see me hurt again. The _friend_ who would protect Renji, and anybody else that depended on him, even Hanatarou. I want you to stop beating yourself up for being who you are, that is all," she bit her lip and looked down, as her bravery took hold of her and she revealed too much of her feelings to someone who could not have cared less. She concluded that she had definitely hit her head, she had become too bold.

He made no reply to her ramblings, and simply instructed her to lie back down, informing her that he wanted to check for himself that she had not hurt her head – even though he had found her lying face down on her hand, like it was a pillow and she was simply asleep. He gently moved her hair away from her face, and traced its contours with his fingertips to detect any bumps – there were none. "About earlier," he suddenly spoke after a long period of silence. Her eyes shot open, surrendering the content expression she had previously worn while he played with her hair – _I __mean, __examined __her __for __injuries_.

"I should not have lost my temper…and flung the table across the room," he admitted, not able to look at her as he said it. "I must accept responsibility for the part I played in your current condition," he accused himself.

She smiled at him, capturing his quicksilver with the liquid blue of her own eyes, the intensity behind them made them fire with electricity – he could not turn away. He was always good at torturing himself. "Never apologise for expressing your feelings – it's not a weakness, you know. I enjoyed every moment of our fight, and I hope we will have more in the future," she confessed. Rien saw a flicker of confusion before his usual expression set in and he looked away.

"It's nice to know you care enough about me to get angry at me," Rien finally explained when he didn't ask the question he had been holding in. "But concern is not enough for me, Byakuya. I will continue to do as I please," she reminded him.

"Not if this is the result," he authoritatively stated, still hovering at her bed side even though a comfortable chair was close at hand.

"I'm feeling better already. This is probably because I have not eaten or slept well, especially these last three days. I probably don't even need to bother Ishida with this…," she rambled until she was cut off by Ishida and Renji's arrival.

"It's no bother, Rien," Ishida confidently stated from the doorway, pushing the bridge of his glasses up so his eyes were unreadable. He gracefully walked in until Rien jumped from the edge of her bed and he caught her.

"Ishida," she squealed with delight. She hadn't realised how much she missed him until he was charmingly standing right in front of her.

"Oh…Uh – Inoue," she smiled over Ishida's shoulder at the shy, beautiful girl behind him. Rien detangled her legs from around him, hastily slid her body down Ishida's and immediately let go. "It's nice to see you also, Inoue," she shamefully walked behind Ishida and hugged Inoue who was shyly grinning.

"We have also missed you, Rien-kun," Inoue offered, showing that she understood, and was not offended in the slightest that Rien had just thrown herself at her _boyfriend_. Rien noticed the beautiful ring Inoue wore on her right hand, a promise of some sort. It meant so much more than it appeared – their relationship was _serious_.

"Something you forgot to tell me," she angrily accused as she walked past Ishida and sat at the edge of the bed. Her socked feet had made no sound even though she had hesitantly dragged them towards him. The realisation that she was jealous surprised her, and she began to laugh, but then suppressed it into a smile hidden behind her hand.

"Did she hit her head?" Ishida inquired after her strange behaviour.

"I am not sure," Byakuya's cold tone rang from behind her. She quickly turned and shot him a disapproving glance.

Byakuya explained how he had found Rien as Ishida began examining her. "Has she been under any stress, or has anything different happened recently?" Ishida asked Byakuya, inwardly hating the fact that Byakuya spent the most time with her now.

"She had a bloody lip and a cut across the chest two days ago, when Renji hit her with his bankai," Byakuya informed Ishida as Renji tried to make himself invisible. "Ukitake taichou has informed me that their training is very physically demanding. She was also _training_ last night, in the rain," Byakuya revealed.

"Alone?" Ishida accusingly asked, already knowing the answer.

"No," Byakuya confessed. "She has also been exposed to a significant amount of my reiatsu in the last few days," Byakuya admitted in a matter-of-fact tone, hoping no one would question him any further about it.

"I've also barely slept and haven't eaten for like, two days," Rien defensively added. She didn't want anyone else blamed for her stupidity. Now that Byakuya thought about it, she had not been present for meals for the past few days, in order to avoid him, she had admitted, and even when she was there, she barely ate.

Ishida held her close to him and listened to her breathing, placing the stethoscope lower and lower on her back. She didn't expect it, but her heartbeat quickened as he bent closer to her, and she tried to control it as she looked at Inoue over his shoulder. She moved her hair away and tilted her head to give him better access, and that's when he saw it. Ishida moved Rien's hair away and simply froze. He drew more attention than he meant to, causing everyone to swarm around them to see what was wrong.

Ishida bent her head down and moved all her hair away from her neck. Rien couldn't see anything, but felt them all surround her.

"When did you get a tattoo?" Renji was the first to ask.

"I don't have a tattoo," Rien denied.

"I'm looking straight at it," Renji accused. "Kinda girly, but beautiful," he added.

They were all rubbing at it, to check if it was paint or ink, and pointing to interesting things to debate what they were, and Rien was being very patient with them. Then warm slender fingers gently caressed the back of her neck and she had no doubt who they belonged to. His touch pulsated through her entire body, often paralysing her, causing her heartbeat to hasten.

"It is not raised," Byakuya commented.

"I noticed that also. It's probably not a tattoo then," Ishida added.

"Maybe she's always had it, and nobody noticed before" Inoue suggested.

A resounding NO escaped from all three men. It made Rien blush under her veil of hair.

"Kurotsuchi taichou's reports stated that her body was unmarked in any way," Byakuya explained, though he didn't know why he felt the need.

"Yeah, and she was moaping as usual the other day, her head lying in her arms and her hair everywhere, but no tattoo," Renji tried to give them a timeline.

Ishida said nothing about how he knew the tattoo was new, and it brought that murderous feeling Byakuya had had for him to the surface once more. _How __could __she __have __professed __to __love __him __alone __and __given __herself __to __this __Quincy._

"Can you take a picture, Ishida? So I can see, and anyway, my neck is killing me," Rien requested.

Ishida took his cell phone out and took a picture. Then he hid the phone behind his back as she tried to grab it and instructed her to get back into bed as she had a fever. She felt a normal warm temperature, and for her that meant a fever, Ishida had concluded. Once she got under the covers, he kicked his shoes off and jumped onto the bed next to her, on top of the covers, inviting Inoue as well. Renji needed no invitation and was soon squashing Rien between him and Ishida. Byakuya still stood at the foot of the bed, glaring at them all.

"I will tell the chef to send some lunch to your room," Byakuya coldly stated, like everyone had been invited to a party except him, but he still had to buy them a present.

"Don't go," Rien almost jumped out from under the covers to stop him, but Ishida yanked her back down.

"You – stay," Ishida commanded, his blue eyes staring at her above the rim of his glasses. And Rien obediently stayed down and put her head on his left shoulder. Ishida already had his right arm around Inoue, who looked particularly content. It made Byakuya even more furious, and he started to leak reiatsu again, causing Inoue to immediately fall unconscious.

_You__ – __stay._ Byakuya had to remember that the next time he forbid her from doing something. So that was all it took…_You__ – __stay!_ What Byakuya didn't get was that it wasn't about what was said, but about the feelings of the person who was saying it to her that made her yield.

_And __I __trust __him __completely. _Byakuya fumed, as though she was implying she trusted Ishida above him.

"Hey, Taichou, you're doing it again," Renji informed him.

"Renji, please attend to the squad business you have neglected by being here," Byakuya reprimanded Renji as he controlled his reiatsu and Inoue opened her eyes once more. He had only released a little, nowhere near the magnitude of their earlier fight, and Rien was completely unaffected both times. Perhaps she was getting stronger, he thought.

Renji left, and Rien smoothed Renji's vacant spot on the bed, her eyes filled with hope. Ishida scowled in Byakuya's direction for making Inoue fall unconscious, but Byakuya determinedly walked towards them, unphased and unapologetic. Rien looked up at him, her liquid electric blue now alive with hope, but he squashed it and stiffly stood at her bedside.

"As you can see, it's a tattoo, or something like that…I kinda think it could only be one thing, what do you think, Rein?" Ishida asked, pulling Rien away from the longing look she was giving Byakuya, and the arrogant way he looked through her. Their hate was mutual it seemed.

"Um..," Rien reluctantly tore her eyes away from Byakuya to study the picture. "It looks like a sakura tree in full bloom, the tree kinda looks like its burning, and maybe these drops could be rain – to put out the fire, or something. I don't know, maybe…," Rien offered, not really interested in what any of it meant.

"And don't forget the pretty hell butterfly," Inoue added.

"Why would you say it's a hell butterfly, Inoue?" Rien inquired.

"Because it's black," Inoue confidently stated. Rien didn't have the heart to point out that the whole tattoo was black, and that trees, rain and fire were not black.

"There is no need for concern. It is a marking," Byakuya confidently began.

"Like Renji's, maybe," Ishida finished, stealing Byakuya's thunder and pissing him off even more.

"Exactly," Byakuya agreed as he controlled his undercurrent of anger beneath his expressionless façade. "Renji was marked after he called out his zanpakuto, but I suppose it could work the other way around as well," Byakuya acknowledged.

"Or Rien-kun got a little too tipsy one night and got a tattoo," Inoue suggested. "Renji said…," but Rien's glare made her stop in her tracks.

"I don't think Rien can get a tattoo, she regenerates too quickly and her body would probably break down the ink beneath her skin if it was produced from anywhere but within her body," Ishida informed Inoue, kissing her forehead gently. It was such a disarming thing to do, and Inoue melted against his body. Rien was envious, and the sight made her want to throw up. "Maybe that's why Rien doesn't men…," both Inoue and Rien's hands found their way up to Ishida's mouth.

Ishida looked a little embaressed and guilty now that he realised Byakuya was stiffly standing there. "What?" Ishida guiltily tried to defend, "he already knows – I read it in the reports I stole…I mean, _borrowed_ from that monster Mayuri," Ishida tried to explain his candour.

"I hate this place! Why should my personal business be the bedtime stories for every Taichou in Seireitei?" Rien fumed. All of them, Jyuushiro, Shunsui, Hitsugaya, and worst of all Byakuya…they all had received reports on her. Rien threw the covers off and pushed past Byakuya, then put her boots on.

"And where do you think you're going?" Byakuya coldly inquired, steel reinforcing each word.

"Exactly where you think I am," she resolutely informed him.

"It is too dangerous in your condition," he argued.

"You have a fever," Ishida added, knowing it would make no difference once she had decided to do something.

"Inoue, if you have time, would you come on patrol with Rukia and me?" Rien turned in her direction, hoping for the best. She was rewarded with a polite nod. "See, healing on tap if I need it. Happy now?" she sarcastically asked.

"Don't worry, Byakuya-san, I will accompany them as well – for protection," Ishida added. Byakuya's mind was not comforted by the thought in the least.

"Sorry, Ishida, girls only," Rien informed him, and she watched his face drop. These random feelings Ishida suddenly brought out in her had to be smothered before they roared to full life and confused them all even more, and as a result, Rien decided to avoid the dashing Quincy. She decided the only reason her heart raced when he came closer to her was because she missed how he made her feel…_desired_. Desire alone was not enough, and she would never dream of hurting Ishida or Inoue on a whim of attraction.

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**Author's note**

Thanks for reading. I also wanna thank my solitary reviewer from the last two chapters I uploaded – thank you for taking the time the time to write that thorough review and share your thoughts about the story. I hope you liked the little bit of Ishida I sneaked into this chapter for you. R&R

I have recently come across very detailed author's notes where they talk about why they did stuff. I like to let the story speak for itself, but am I doing these wrong?

~Willow~


	25. Lifeline

**Supernova**

_By Willow Athena_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach or any of its characters, but Rien and this story are definitely mine

**Author's****note:** I just want to thank anyone who has ever reviewed this story. Thank you for your encouragement. There are a few vague spoilers for anyone who has not watched up to episode 310 in the anime. Some things are real, and some just my imagination, so it's up in the air which is which if you haven't watched the anime to that point.

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**CHAPTER 25 – Lifeline**

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As Inoue walked besides Rein, she smiled shyly and rambled about how Ishida loved cooking, and would never let her cook because he was so dedicated to the task. Rien had been to Inoue's place for dinner, a few times, and Ichigo had thankfully warned her to eat before she went, unless she wanted to eat something close to bean paste and curried bananas. Rien remembered what a good cook Ishida was, and then spontaneously blushed, only now realising how many private romantic dinners he had made her while they were _friends_.

"You don't have to be embarrassed, I'm sure Byakuya-san already knew about it," Inoue assured her, assuming that was the reason for the spontaneous blush.

"Hai. Um…are you and Ishida…_living_ together?" Rien suddenly asked. It was more than just the living together she was interested in knowing, but she was too polite to ask, and this answer would be sufficient.

"How did you know, Rien-kun?" Inoue blushed profusely, more than Rien thought was possible for anyone.

"I…um, I didn't, you both just look really happy together, like nothing's holding you guys back anymore," Rien added. "He loves you a lot, and I'm glad you make eachother so happy," Rien conceded.

"Inoue," Rukia bellowed once they encountered her already on patrol. "Is Ichigo with you?" she worriedly asked.

"It's nice to know your main concern is if one of your helpless boyfriends is around, and not if your brother tried to kill me or not this morning," Rien joked in better spirits.

"Did Nii-sama…?" Rukia's eyes opened wide.

"No, but he was furious," Rien acknowledged. "He even shouted at me," she smiled, remembering what he looked like holding onto her shoulders.

"NOooo…he actually shouted. You must have been terrified," Rukia looked pale just thinking about the possibility of her Nii-sama shouting at her.

"He is not nearly as terrifying as he thinks he is," Rien assured her.

"Maybe not when he's with you," Inoue interjected, suggestively smiling at Rien.

"He's not affectionate with me," Rien explained and then flashed on him carrying her to her bed earlier.

"What were you just thinking about?" Inoue almost pounced on Rien, staring straight into her eyes, their noses touching. People on the streets of Rukongai stopped to look at the two beautiful girls, both the same statuesque height, and an inch away from eachother. "You have beautiful eyes – liquid electric blue – just like Ishida's," Inoue side-tracked herself, before moving away.

"T-Thank you, Inoue, that's a big compliment coming from someone so beautiful," Rien returned the truthful compliment. "Are they really like his?" Rien hadn't looked into a mirror for a long time, and had never compared the two.

Inoue nodded. "I first noticed it in the picture Yoruichi has of you and Ishida, at Urahara-san's shop. It's from when you two were…_dating_," Inoue awkwardly added.

"Um…we weren't …really…dating, not really," Rien felt like she had some explaining to do, but there was nothing she could of said to make the awkwardness go away. "What were we doing?" Rien tentatively asked hoping it was PG 13 at least.

"I think Kurosaki-kun took the picture when Ishida was teaching you archery," Inoue added more innocently.

"I'll extract one of Yoruichi's lives, and then ask her to take it down," Rien offered.

"It's not necessary, Rien-kun," Inoue assured her. "I know he loves me, and that's enough, everything before that doesn't matter," Inoue dreamily smiled at her. "Ichigo and I dated for a while, Ishida knows, but he is not jealous about the past because he knows how much I love him, now and forever," Inoue added.

"You and Ichigo dated?" Rukia had stopped in her tracks.

"Don't worry Kuchiki-san, it was very short lived, only a month, and it was not what I expected. I had, had a crush on Ichigo for a few years, so I thought we should give it a shot. You had been gone for a long time. I think he only agreed because you had told him you decided to stay in soul society and wouldn't be visiting since there was so much Seireitei business to handle after the battle with Aizen in Soul Society, but when you came back two years later, after Aizen managed to escape from prison, I knew it was not worth continuing the relationship," Inoue explained to the guilty looking Rukia.

"Did you..._love_ him, Inoue?" Rukia tentatively asked.

"I thought I did, but once we actually started dating, I realised it was mostly gratitude because he saved me so many times. I mistook his concern for affection for so many years, and then once we dated, I realised I deserved better than someone pining for someone else," Inoue was far sharper than she often let on.

"In high school, I always thought Ishida had a crush on you," Rukia tried to steer the subject away from her and Ichigo.

"He told me he did, but I never knew it at the time – he is pretty good at hiding his feelings when he wants to. He told me he never said anything because he knew I had feelings for Ichigo, but I wish I had known," she looked down and smiled as they walked, glancing at her ring.

"When Ishida started dating Rien, he stopped paying as much attention to me, and it made me jealous for the first time. I took his affection for granted for so many years, and then suddenly it was gone," Inoue confessed.

"We weren't..._dating_," Rien whispered, but they ignored it.

"I found out they had broken up when Rien was in hospital. We spent so much time together trying to figure out a way to help, Rien, and everytime he touched me I suddenly knew I had to be with him forever. He felt so guilty," she confessed, looking into Rien's eyes.

"It wasn't his fault. He was only here to try to save me from myself. He would never have been in that situation had I not put him there," Rien acknowledged.

"Thank you so much for saving him, I owe you everything," Inoue gushed, forcefully hugging Rien.

"You don't owe me anything," she tried to assure Inoue. "It was all my fault – everything! Byakuya would never have had to feel regret, or Ishida guilt, or Jyuushiro gratitude...I should never have existed," Rien admitted, still consoling Inoue in her arms.

"Don't be an idiot," Rukia suddenly scolded Rien. "I never want to hear you say that again," she added, pointing an angry finger at Rien.

"I jus...," Rien began, but was cut off.

"You live and die in every emotion you feel, you are truthful, fearless, and considerate in everything you do, and you bring these things out in everyone you meet. Your example constantly challenges us to reveal ourselves and be unafraid of who we are. And if my idiotic brother ever allowed himself to be happy again, I know you would protect his fragile heart with everything you had," Rukia revealed, the intensity of her expression was echoed in her violet eyes.

"Rukia...," Rien whispered , trying to stop the tears welling in her eyes from falling.

"She is right, Rien-kun," Inoue added. "Ishida and I would never have had the courage if it were not for your example. The way you openly love Byakuya-san, even though he pushes you away, it takes a lot of courage and humility to love him as intensely as you do, and to hope, but not expect him to return your feelings," Inoue acknowledged.

"I...It's not easy. It feels like its constantly raining inside me, and recently it's been feeling like I'm slowly drowning from within because of it – I'm drowning and I can't get enough air," Rien felt some of the tears roll down her face. She wiped them away and took a deep controlling breath. This is what it had felt like before she had fainted – drowning.

"We will not let you drown, onee-sa," Rukia said, taking Rien's hand in hers; Inoue also took hold of the other hand. "As long as the people who love you are near, you are never alone," Rukia assured her.

"You have given me the courage to be happy once again," Rukia explained. "You gave Renji the courage to finally tell me how he feels. We owe you the happiness we now have. I always hoped, but I never dared tell him in case he did not feel the same. You could have told me his feelings a long time ago, but you knew it was more important for us both to be honest with eachother," Rukia beamed at Rien's suddenly smiling face. Rien hugged Rukia tightly, lifting her off the ground slightly and twirling her around.

"Okay, okay, you can put me down now," Rukia laughed, "people are watching."

"I cannot control my happiness. It's everything I wished for," Rien explained, beaming from ear to ear. This living vicariously thing, really worked, she idly thought.

"I am also happy for you, Kuchiki-san. There is nothing more rewarding than to finally hear those three beautiful words escape from the lips of the man you love," Inoue revealed. Realising what she had just said, she apologetically looked in Rien's direction.

Rien dimmed slightly, but controlled her pain, and pushed the thought away for later. "Don't worry so much about my dreary non-existent love life. We have so much to celebrate," she smiled back at them. "Two of my closest friends are happily in love, and for that I am grateful," she sincerely acknowledged. "And as the proclaimed reason for your happiness, Rukia, I must know everything about your date, in excruciating detail," Rien winked at her.

Rukia turned red, but did not refuse as she shyly recounted her romantic date.

* * *

Rien had insisted Rukia wear a violet kimono as the blossom festival was a special occasion, else Rukia would have probably stealthily left the house in her uniform. Rukia hadn't told anyone about her plans with Renji that afternoon, and they both had made a mandatory show at the lunchtime Seireitei Blossom festival; where Rukia had seen Rien yawning on her date with Hisagi. As afternoon drew near Rukia began to be more nervous, and she kept telling herself it was just an outing between friends. But if that was all it was, why had she kept it a secret from everyone. Rukia shunpo'ed to Inuzuri, where they had grown up, and Renji had asked her to meet him at 5pm. Rukia was exactly on time, but Renji was already there waiting for her.

"Hey, short-stack," Renji joked, trying to lighten his heavy mood.

"What's up, pineapple," Rukia insulted back, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief that everything was as it always was when they lived here.

"Come, let's go. Follow me...if you can," Renji taunted.

"The day you beat me in shunpo is the day the sun falls from the sky," Rukia countered as he she shunpo'ed away following him.

He had taken her to a picnic at a restricted lake. Rukia recognised the beautiful landscape, but could not put her finger on why. A picnic blanket was laid out with a feast, right next to the water and near a blooming sakura tree. No one was around, and Rukia was getting nervous as she had not expected to be alone with Renji. Renji was in a dark green kimono, which Rien had insistently chosen, to apparently enhance the beauty of his long red hair. Renji's red hair was flowing beautifully long and framing his softened face – not his usual intense expression during battle, or the playful smirk Rukia was used to.

Renji began the date by presenting her with the first blossom of the season, that he had apparently stopped Byakuya from throwing away because its beauty had instantly reminded him of Rukia. Rukia's heart raced as Renji bent down , his one knee on the ground and opened the expensive box in which the flower rested in suspended animation, and removed it to carefully place it in her hair behind her ear. Rukia had been about to protest that removing the flower from the box would cause it to wither eventually, but then...

"This flower would gladly give up eternity to be next to you, just as I would," Renji's brown eyes vulnerably widened as he spoke to Rukia on bended knee. "Rukia, I have loved you all my life, and I will never stop loving you, even if you don't feel...,"

Rukia's kiss cut him off. At first he could not believe her lips were touching his, but he soon gave in to the intensity of her kiss, slowly rising from his kneeling position, lifting her with him, snaking his arms around her and vowing to never let her go. Who knew the deserted lake where Rien had almost died could be so beautiful, and so private, Renji reminded himself to thank Rien later, but soon forgot everything and everyone as Rukia's small fingers flitted through his long hair and tugged gently. He vowed to never tie his hair up ever again.

* * *

**Author's Note**

I hope you guys enjoyed the RukiRen, and my backtracked explanations of previously only hinted at behaviour. I think it was nice of Byakuya to let Renji have the gift he was going to give Rien.

**Setting****Update:**Don't read the following if you have not reached episode 310 in the anime. I envision my story set a while after that, and like I said all the humans are a bit older, around 22/23 years, where my story currently is, but were around 21 when this story started. I just wanted them to mature a bit so the content would be appropriate. I have set this after Aizen escapes from prison in Soul Society, it's now 4 years later, and since he is now immortal, I think he eventually would of hatched a plan to escape and get up to his usual schemes. So, everyone is stressed and on alert because Aizen is out there somewhere, up to his usual tricks, and he has gotten it into his head that he wants to be Soul King. Aizen arrogantly thinks that if there has to be a Soul King to maintain the balance, why shouldn't it be him since he already has a god-complex. R&R

**~Willow~**


	26. Personal Growth

**Supernova**

_By Willow Athena_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach or any of its characters, but Rien and this story are definitely mine

**Author's****note:** Well over a thousand people read the last two chapters, but I have received no feedback. It's very demotivating, and I'm not sure if I should continue bothering to publish any more chapters. Did all my readers hate the new chapters, and their silence was a way of letting me down easy? I wouldn't know. I will decide whether or not to continue publishing based on the response, or lack thereof.

* * *

**CHAPTER 26 – Personal Growth**

* * *

Rukia would not tell Rien and Inoue anything more about her date, even though they pestered her for the better part of an hour before they had to return to the Kuchiki manor for dinner.

"Neither of you breathe a word of this. Nii-sama has this way of getting things out of people – don't look directly into his eyes," Rukia warned.

"Can I tell Ishida, he will know I'm keeping something big from him," Inoue pleaded.

"Probably not a good idea," Rukia denied her request. "I would like to speak to Ichigo first, before anyone else finds out. I know he will be disappointed," she guiltily looked away. "We also have to figure out what we are going to do about Nii-sama, I don't think he will allow it, but we must find a way, I love Renji so much – and thanks to you Rien, I will not let _anyone_ take my happiness from me," Rukia said with determination.

"Yeah," Rien fist pumped into the air as Byakuya and Ishida entered for dinner.

"Someone is feeling better," Ishida remarked, sitting down next to Inoue and gently kissing her waiting lips.

Rien turned away, her jealousy flaring up again, only to lock eyes with Byakuya and once more feel the constant rain pour within her – she had momentarily been distracted from it, but it had never stopped pouring. "I feel fine," Rien softly spoke, only to smile when Rukia grasped her hand beneath the brand new dining table.

Ishida and Inoue were sickeningly in love, their affectionate behaviour was nauseating to Byakuya and Rien, the only single people in the room. Their affection was not inappropriate in any way, but was just always in stark contrast to Byakuya and Rien's cavernous distance. After dinner, Ishida and Inoue, left for the world of the living, leaving Rien with an open invitation to come visit them whenever she was free, hinting that sooner would be better than later. Rukia also excused herself, saying something about paperwork she needed to finish, but Rien knew she would meet Renji. Byakuya was about to interrogate Rukia when Rien interrupted him, and threw herself on the coals – to a hidden smile from Rukia.

"Byakuya, will you walk me?" Rien had never requested it before; she usually just trailed behind him as he left the dining room. If she couldn't be happy, at least her friends were, and she would do all she could to distract Byakuya and keep Rukia's secret.

"If you wish," Byakuya tonelessly stated, slightly confused about the obvious request. Rukia took this opportunity to quickly shunpo away, to Renji at the 6th squad's barracks, as Byakuya was efficiently occupied.

Rien couldn't be sure, but thought they had made a few wrong turns somewhere, this was at least not their usual route, perhaps Byakuya had grown tired of the same scenery. After ten minutes they were at _his_ bedroom door. Rien looked more than confused.

"I will momentarily return," he informed her, before disappearing inside his bedroom. Rien patiently waited, shaking the tension from her corded muscles, and hearing many clicks that should not have been there as she stretched in every direction. As she bent backwards, the inverted picture she saw could not be real, causing her to suddenly snap up and turn towards him.

"You...," she swallowed, her racing heart hurriedly consuming her words before they escaped.

"I do not think the accessories make that much of a difference, but unlike you, I do not fight against every request you make, just to pick a fight with you. I have decided to prove you wrong, I will not behave any differently without the adornments," Byakuya informed her. He had walked out of his bedroom without his kenseikan, or his windflower scarf, or his captain's haori – just his plain shinigami uniform. He was breathtaking. Heartstoppingly handsome in every way. Even his usual expressionless stare looked so much less severe without all that constant weight weighing him down. Not the physical weight of the accessories, but the mental weight of everyone else's expectations of who he should be.

"Thank you," Rien finally said after a long unshameful stare. She read his familiar micro-movements, and recognised a flicker of confusion before he hid it. "For hearing me, even though you don't agree with my assessment," she explained.

"I have always heard you, but it has been harder for me to learn to listen," he flatly admitted. "You understand that my appearance will not make a difference...,"

"It already has," she assured him, "It has made a difference to me," she finished as his hint of sakura and something unexplainable wafted her way, now unhindered by the lack of constricting layers. "Your behaviour may or may not be affected, but my respect for you has increased tenfold, and I will no longer fight you if you believe strongly enough in your view," she revealed.

"I am pleased to hear it," amusement leaked into his expression.

"Don't expect me to always give in, respect is a two-way street – you must trust my judgement at times, and you will never be able to _forbid_ me from doing things, but you may request that I seriously give your position thought," Rien suggested.

"Perhaps my approach this morning was..._incorrect_," he begrudgingly admitted, walking past her, implying that they should continue their walk. She took his lead and walked beside him. Her left arm went across her front and held the right against her body, she tried to focus on her fisted right hand to control the shaking her excess adrenalin produced. She almost regretted her earlier request for him to look like this; it was not an easy sight to behold while maintaining the distance she had promised him.

He was partly right, on the surface he behaved no differently, but they would never have entered into their earlier conversation if he was constantly reminded he was Kuchiki Byakuya, 28th head...blah, blah, blah. Rien had never wanted him to be different, just more like his true self that people rarely got a glimpse of.

"You need not answer if it makes you uncomfortable," Byakuya began.

"As you know, I rarely do things I don't want to," Rien reminded him, though her voice had nervously quivered at the end.

"Were you jealous of the Quincy's relationship earlier?"

Rien immediately stopped in her tracks, the unexpected question threw her off guard. Byakuya turned, seeing her suddenly stop. "You need not answer," he informed her, staring straight into her electric blue. "Forget the question," he instructed as he turned away from her to continue walking.

"Yes," she admitted, halting his steps in the beautiful garden.

"You don't have to humour me," he reassured.

"It caught _me_ by surprise as well," she continued undeterred, looking up at the clear night sky and all the beautiful stars shining down on them. They both usually walked in silence until their walk was over, not seeing anything around them and then hid away, both in isolation. She missed the beauty of the night, she realised, she found it difficult to sleep here, and the night had been her constant companion – but she had neglected her friend for a while now.

"It is only natural to have felt something," Byakuya informed her. She looked at him, surprised and confused. "He should have behaved more honourably and married you," Byakuya flatly explained. Though the Quincy's marriage to her would have assured the Quincy's untimely death.

"I did not want to marry him, that is not why I was jealous," Rien walked closer to Byakuya and explained.

"So, you refused him?" Byakuya inquired.

"No, he never asked me. We were not in a relationship," she confessed.

"I know the world of the living follows different codes of honour, but once he accepted your _gifts_, he should have, at the very least, offered you the chance to refuse his hand in marriage," Byakuya coldly stated.

"My _gifts_? What are you...is this your way of asking if Ishida and I were _physically __intimate_?" she laughed through her sudden irritation with him.

"Do my values amuse you?" anger evident in his tone.

"No, but they way you try to underhandedly get information from me does," Rien admitted.

"I do not require any information from you; I was informed of your relationship with the Quincy. You had the option of not discussing the topic, if you want to suddenly invoke it," he angrily informed her.

"Perhaps _you_ should not believe everything you read in surveillance reports," she angrily countered.

"You need not lie – I saw you with him," Byakuya accused inches away from her.

"I knew it!" she said, poking him in the shoulder. "You believe whatever the fuck you want then," she said as she pushed past him, she walked with determination, trying to remember how to get back to her room. He followed in her angry wake.

"I'm..._sorry_," he finally said from behind her. The apology had stuck in his throat as he realised what he had said, and he wanted to let her know that he had heard her. She had not given herself to the Quincy, as he had mistakenly assumed.

"For what, for spying on me or for calling me a liar," she huffily asked.

"Both," he conceded.

"When you kissed me…," she trailed off, never having spoken about it after promising him. "You and I have been more intimate than Ishida and I ever were," she admitted. "Why were you there? You robbed me of any happiness I could of felt in that moment," she angrily revealed.

"I had been concerned for your safety due to the sharp rise in hollow activity at the time, and my squad was assigned to night patrols in the world of the living. I was stationed at the Quincy's home because of the reports of your affection for him, and we hypothesised some sort of a link between your presence and the rise in hollows. I never attempted to look inside his home, I would often see you leave, but never arrive. Perhaps I let curiosity get the better of me when I saw you standing on his balcony, and I allowed myself to move too close. I noticed your injury, my only thought was to protect you, I did not mean to intrude on your time with him. At one point I thought you looked straight at me, so I shunpo'ed away, it was not easy in a gigai," he off-handedly admitted.

Rien stared straight at him, her lips slightly parted as though she wanted to say something, but she said nothing. She closed her mouth, and looked everywhere but at Byakuya, like she was trying to make sense of his confession and how she felt about it. "You don't need to worry about me so much," she finally said.

"Believe me when I say I have spent countless hours trying," he admitted. "But you somehow manage to attract danger," he declared.

"It's not that bad," she argued as she began following him in the correct direction.

"Many would beg to differ," he countered. They walked the rest of the journey in silence, until they reached her room. All his words rolled around Rien's head and she had been lost in thought for a while, not immediately noticing they had stopped outside her room.

"Wait, I want to give you something," she suddenly said, running into her room. She quickly returned to the door, inviting him in, full of nervous optimism, and holding a gift-wrapped box.

"I was gonna save it for your birthday in a few weeks, but I can't wait, and you may need it considering...open it," she thrust the present towards him. "If you don't like it, don't feel obliged or anything, not that you would ever feel obliged," she nervously rambled as he opened his birthday present. "It's hard to figure out what to get a guy who has everything and wants nothing," she added, as he looked at his present, discarding the box on the floor of her room.

"At least try it on, you don't have to keep wearing it if you don't want to" she encouraged. "You probably already hate it, it was a stupid thought anyway," she continued to anxiously ramble.

Byakuya thoroughly inspected every detail of the captain's haori she had given him. It was beautiful, different than his usual one, but he could see the thought she had personally put into every minor exquisite detail. It was sleeveless, just like his old one, had the mandatory lines and diamond shapes that all the captain's haori had around the bottom edge, it also had his squad's number on the back within the large diamond that framed the number, but everything was done with better stitching and felt more well made and durable, he noted.

He began putting it on before Rien's rambling led her to take the gift back all together. This haori had a thin elegant collar rising up to frame his neck, as well as feathery 'tassels' protruding from just beneath both corners of the collar. He fiddled while looking into her mirror before he turned to her, for her opinion.

"Do you like it?" she asked his opinion first, but did not wait for an answer. "You don't have to like it, I won't be crushed or anything," she assured him once more. "I just thought it would be a little ironic, and funny, and kind of like our inside joke...you know, coz of...," her gaze was downcast by now.

"And I owed you a haori after ruining one of yours...," she just couldn't stop talking, and his silence certainly wasn't helping.

"You owed me nothing," he suddenly spoke, effectively shutting her up. "Thank you for the gift," he added.

"No problem," she replied, inspecting her feet at her doorway. "It was nothing," she quickly added.

"Even so, I appreciate it," he assured her. "It looks and feels like something I would have chosen for myself, so...thank you," he acknowledged as he walked towards her.

When she lifted her eyes, he was closer than she expected, closer than he should be, in any situation. She instinctively crept backwards, out of the restricting doorway – she was probably blocking his exit, she assumed. He followed her out, still standing closer than he should. Her eyes would not meet his. "It was made with what was left of the white windflower silk harvested for my coronation kimono, I don't know if you remember it," she nervously rambled as she straightened his collar to perfection, and then quickly withdrew her hands as she noticed them lingeringly rest on his chest. That's what he looked like in this moment with her.

_Perfection_.

"I will wear it from tomorrow, if you don't mind," Byakuya's voice vibrated so close to her. Was he leaning down? Rien did not look up to check.

"Only if you really like it," she nervously whispered, her voice noticeably shaking. "Please don't tell anyone I gave it to you," she suddenly requested.

It surprised Byakuya, and he moved back to read her expression. Was she joking?

"I handsomely bribed one of the old Shihouin tailors who is fond of me to make it for me in secret, so he won't say anything. It's taken him five months to finish it in his spare time," she added, inspecting a spot on the floor and nervously playing with her own clothes.

"Promise you won't tell anyone," she slowly brought her eyes up to his.

She was serious. "I promise, if that is your wish, but...," he began to protest, but was cut off.

"Good. Neither of us would ever live it down. It would just stoke a dying fire in everybody's mind. I would like you to enjoy your present without all the suspicious glances attached," she revealed.

_A __dying __fire._ Did she no longer want to be with him? This would explain her maintained distance and her retreating behaviour tonight. He knew he had pushed her away, frequently, and with unwavering dedication, but her affection had remained ever constant. Until today, until the Quincy's arrival.

"Since you have never been _intimately_ attached to the Quincy, why were you so jealous of their relationship today?" Byakuya flatly asked, changing the subject and pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Oh, um...why wouldn't I," she stated, as though it were obvious.

"What do _they_ have that you do not have here with me?" He was hurt.

"You stay at my home, we eat all our meals together, we spend more time with eachother than anyone else, what more could they have?" Byakuya earnestly asked.

"You can't be serious," Rien's eyes filled with pain and anger and pierced his quicksilver. "He loves her back, Byakuya," _she_ shouted this time, and stormed past him, slamming her bedroom door shut.

* * *

**Author's note**

I tried to paste a link to what Byakuya's new look in the manga and anime should look like, it is what I am referring to in this chapter, but the links got lost in the formatting every time. If you wanna check it out, just google 'Byakuya's new look' and the image will pop up.

I still want to thank my solitary reviewer from the last two chapters I uploaded, all three of these chapters only sprung to life because of your support and kind words. It all rests in your hands now.

If we never meet again, then adieu...

~Willow~


	27. Choice Requires Courage

**Supernova**

_By Willow Athena_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach or any of its characters, but Rien and this story are definitely mine

**Author's****note:** These chapters are only being uploaded (only a week since the last upload) due to the encouragement of my reviewers: Julie, Lu, Virtually Forgotten, and Daydreamer1606. Thank you for the encouragement. I uploaded these chapters because it felt so natural to write, and I did not brood over it as I usually do. I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

**CHAPTER 27 – Choice Requires Courage**

* * *

Rien appeared for breakfast, looking like a vision once more, only so Byakuya wouldn't have the satisfaction of seeing how he tormented her. She tried her best, but was unable to fall asleep last night, and her blood burned like it turned to acid beneath her mark. She decided not to worry anyone any further by talking about it. She had not been able to get Byakuya's stupid question out of her mind. Did he really not comprehend the difference between love and concern? He was more intelligent than that Rien had finally admitted, and he had been married, so surely his marriage was more than them just living with eachother. Perhaps it was his attempt to cheer her up by describing the multitude of mundane things they did in eachother's company.

She knew they spent a lot of time together, more than with anyone else. But prisoners also spend a lot of time with warden's, that doesn't mean that they want to be with them, just that it is unavoidable. _Choice_ meant everything to Rien, and was the reason she constantly fought against him – she wanted him to choose to be with her, not just accept the hand that was dealt to him. Sometimes when he looked at her, she saw more than just concern, _maybe __even_…she couldn't even bring herself to think it – but none of it mattered if he chose to be alone. She had almost laughed at breakfast yesterday when he admitted that he did not want to lose her…_This __is __not __what __it __feels __like __to __have __me_, she had almost said, but his touch had paralysed her. Why did he even care if she was upset or jealous?

Concern was not enough. She understood what he meant, their fates had been sealed – she also felt that need for him, like she would not survive without him, but her need was tempered with love, and his with concern. He felt an overwhelming need to protect her. The only problem was, she did not need his protection. She was nothing like Hisana – she was not quiet, or weak, or demur, or in constant need of Byakuya's strength. Rien was strong, opinionated, passionate, and could stand on her own two feet – against _him_ if necessary, or anyone else for that matter.

Both their behaviours yesterday were strange. She could not understand why he insisted on being so close to her, but she also did not deny him the intimacy, and self-inflicted the torture on herself. His every touch was torture as it was taken away from her, it was always taken away, forever momentary and intensely addictive. His words last night had made her hope, and hope was a dangerous and volatile commodity. She could not remain here while that dying ember of hope still had heat. She had promised to shield him from the stupidity of her feelings, and she had been doing well until she felt herself crack in the last few days. She could not trust herself with him anymore. Not after last night. She needed air. She needed perspective. She needed Yoruichi.

Rien momentarily faltered as she entered the dining room, noticing Byakuya in the new captain's haori and without his usual accessories. Rukia was also trying to control her wide eyed stare at Byakuya's new look. Rien realised no one would ever question him about the change. Who would dare question Kuchiki Byakuya!

Rien sat down, avoiding eye contact. She couldn't handle him without the usual façade. She was used to hating his façade, and now felt like perhaps the façade had protected not just him, but her as well. Rien studied her breakfast, and was mindful to finish it even though she was not hungry. She did not want a repeat of yesterday morning.

No one spoke a word at breakfast. Rukia because she was afraid of letting her secret slip, and Rien and Byakuya because there were no more lies left for them to tell eachother. Not after last night.

"I'm leaving," Rien suddenly announced, staring down at the cup of jasmine tea in her hands.

Byakuya looked up at her for the first time that morning. She did not meet his eyes as she usually did, but she could feel them burning into her, daring her to continue.

"I'll be back in a couple of days," she softly added.

"Where were you thinking of going?" Rukia asked, to cut the tension in the room.

"Are you taking the Quincy up on his offer?" Byakuya coldly assumed.

"No. I would like to visit my sister," she revealed, slightly irritated with his assumption. "I will inform the Shihouin Clan, and I will visit Jyuushiro to let him know," she added.

"Ukitake taichou," Byakuya clearly spoke, letting Rien know that he did not miss the familiar way she addressed his rival, "may not have plans for your training today, but I have made certain arrangements for afternoon training," he coldly informed her. "It is not a good time for you to leave," he added.

"Byakuya," she clearly said his name as her eyes finally met his, "you must forgive my rudeness, but my plans cannot be changed – I _must_ go home," she more confidently stated as he stared back at her. She saw a flicker of the need they both felt to never be apart, and she wondered how strongly he would fight her to persuade her to stay.

'_Your __home __is __here, __with __me_,' he almost blurted out, but stopped himself.

"I will drop you off," Rukia finally interrupted. She felt like another conversation was going on, but she could not speak their language, and took this as an opportunity to go to world of the living and break the earth shattering news to Ichigo before he found out some other way, probably from Renji.

"Sure," Rien agreed, already guessing Rukia's motive.

"When will you leave?" Byakuya conceded, he had promised he would trust her judgement at times.

Shock almost consumed Rien and Rukia both.

"After breakfast," Rien finally replied.

"Don't worry about Ukitake taichou, Rien, I need to ask his permission to accompany you anyway," Rukia said as she hurriedly got up and nervously shunpo'ed away.

Byakuya and Rien both stood up and walked to the door, neither glancing at eachother. Rien stopped suddenly, just short of the door, feeling that unbearable pull not to be away from him – she turned to find him right on her heels, far too close to her again. "Stay safe," Byakuya warned, as he walked around her and out of the door.

* * *

Yoruichi was beaming from ear to ear to have Rien home once more. Tessai was fussing about what special lunch to make, and even Kisuke was his jovial self.

_Air._

Being with them and away from him was like breathing air once more, like she could finally feel her head above water, no longer drowning, but it was still pouring.

Yoruichi wasted no time in calling all Rien's friends and inviting them over for lunch. Rukia informed Yoruichi that she would not be able to stay, and that she just needed to talk to Ichigo for a minute. Yoruichi's knowing eyebrow arched, already guessing Rukia's intended topic.

Ichigo thankfully arrived as soon as Yoruichi informed him that Rien and Rukia were home. "Honestly, that boy will use any excuse to dodge class," Yoruichi remarked when she saw Ichigo arrive a few minutes after her call.

"I'll just copy Ishida and Inoue's notes," Ichigo admitted. The work was not as difficult as it seemed, and he was dedicated to getting reasonable grades or his father would never let him live it down. Ichigo just couldn't help but race there when he knew Rukia was around.

Rukia looked almost sick as she suddenly stopped the incessant pacing when she felt Ichigo's reiatsu leak near Urahara's shop. The sick expression she wore suddenly turned into guilt as she saw his smiling expression expectantly looking back at her.

"Ichigo, can I talk to you for a minute?" Rukia's tone was heavy and she avoided eye contact with him.

Rien watched Ichigo's smile fade as he heard Rukia's heavy words. Rien knew the feeling, and that like she would, Ichigo's mind was already preparing himself for something bad. Rien knew that no words would be able to prepare him or take away the stabbing pain he was about to endure.

"I'll unpack later. You guys can use my room, if you'd like," Rien offered. If Ichigo had to go through this, then at least he could go through it in private, away from the many eyes and ears of everyone in the Urahara shop.

Ichigo and Rukia disappeared into Rien's stuffy, unused room at the far end of the house. After a few minutes of silence, a huge blast was heard, and Ichigo's dense, dark reiatsu was felt.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Ichigo's loud voice boomed throughout the shop as he flung Rien's bedroom door open.

"I don't care!" Ichigo replied to something Rukia said.

They suddenly walked into the shop where Rien was pretending to stack the shelves with sweets. "Stay the fuck away from me, Rukia," he shouted as he exited the shop and slammed the door closed.

Rukia moved to follow him so she could fully explain how sorry she was for this sudden turn of events. Rien quickly grabbed Rukia's arm before she could follow the furious Ichigo. "That's not wise, Rukia," Rien warned.

"But he didn't even let me explain how sorry I am," Rukia began to sob.

"Nothing you can say will stop the pain he is in. He won't be able to hear you right now," Rien calmly stated while hugging the distraught Rukia.

"He hates me," Rukia cried into Rein's shoulder.

"He doesn't hate you, he's just hurt right now," Rien tried to assure her.

Rien finally convinced Rukia to return to Soul Society, after Rukia apologised for the 100th time for the hole in Rien's bedroom roof caused by Ichigo's sudden burst of reiatsu earlier.

Inoue and Ishida arrived soon after Rukia departed. They were still as nauseating as she remembered them being yesterday, and even more physically affectionate now that the cold Byakuya was not staring them down.

Rien cursed her fate during lunch. She had no roof over her bedroom anymore, she had Yoruichi and Kisuke being disgusting on one side and Ishida and Inoue making her want to throw up on the other side. Envy really was a sickening emotion.

"I'll have Tessai-kun and the others fix your roof by tomorrow," Kisuke informed her, beaming beneath his hat.

"Please stay with us, just for tonight," Inoue tried to convince Rien for the 15th time that afternoon.

"Like I said, I'll just sleep in the dining room for tonight," Rien assured her.

"No, it's your first night back, and you haven't been sleeping well. You must rest while you can," Inoue argued.

"Inoue is right," Yoruichi suddenly butted in. "Ishida informed us your marking and of you not feeling well," Yoruichi looked accusingly at Rien. Rien knew better than to fight Yoruichi on this.

"If it won't inconvenience you guys, then I guess one night won't hurt," Rien beamed at Inoue and Ishida.

* * *

At Inoue's and Ishida's place, previously just Inoue's place, it looked strange to have Ishida's black sports car parked next to all the other regular cars on the street. Rien was immediately curious about their decision to move in together here, and not at Ishida's empty mansion. Ishida was probably trying to shield Inoue from Ryuuken's intruding questions. Ishida was always very private and secretive.

Inoue boasted about the dress Ishida had designed and made for her for tomorrow's dance at the university. Inoue insisted on modelling the dress for her captive audience.

"Blue and white again," Rien whispered into Ishida's ear as she leaned against him on the couch.

"It simply seemed appropriate to go with my blue and white suit," Ishida whispered back, putting his arm around her and allowing her to more comfortably lean into him.

"I have missed you, more than I can express," Rien admitted.

"I will always be here when you need me," Ishida whispered as he kissed her forehead. Inoue walked back in.

"You should come with us, Rien-kun," Inoue offered.

"Don't be silly, it's a university dance," Rien refused, but smiled warmly at her. "And it sounds really romantic," she added while nudging Ishida, who began to turn that irresistible red colour her had first turned when Rien had asked him to explain the purpose of underwear.

Ishida cooked dinner –thankfully! The rest of the evening was sickeningly sweet but uneventful. Rien kept mentally slapping herself when she would slip into wondering what Byakuya was doing at the moment. Ishida was always very observant, and found countless ineffective ways to try and distract Rien – but there were only so many board games you could play, and soon Rien excused herself feigning tiredness.

Rien lay in the comfortable bed in Inoue's guest room, in her favourite butterfly pyjama pants and top, hoping sleep would claim her, but it never did. All she could think of was Byakuya, and wondered what his day had been like, and if he had walked to her room, as he did every night, even though she wasn't there. She picked up the pillow and tried to smother herself and those thoughts away. She silently screamed into the pillow, but it did help.

She suddenly heard a soft knock against the wall across from her room. Rien was used to silence, having an entire undisturbed wing of the Kuchiki manor to herself, and she was sure she would be able to hear a pin drop in her room if she ever bothered to test the theory. Ishida and Inoue probably thought they were being really quiet, and no one but Rien would have probably been able to hear it, but her experience living with Yoruichi and Kisuke as well as her superb hearing, left no doubt in Rien's mind about what was happening in the adjacent bedroom.

Rien couldn't take it any longer. She quietly put a jersey and sneakers on. She opened the second story window of the guest room, and making sure no one else was around, she silently jumped out of the window and gracefully landed on the pavement. Rien wasn't sure where she would go, but she knew she had to get out of there. She aimlessly walked for a while, getting a few strange looks from the sparse number of people actually awake at this hour, because she was still in her butterfly pyjamas and a jersey. She eventually decided to walk to the beach she previously used to frequent.

_Stay safe._

She remembered Byakuya's words, and it almost stopped her from visiting the beach where a hollow had once attacked her. But, she stubbornly decided that she could now handle one little hollow if she needed to, and so she continued walking towards the beach.

As she rounded a corner, she bumped into some idiot who was watching his feet instead of where he was going. "Idiot," she insulted, after being knocked back by a solid wall of muscle.

"Sorry," he softly said.

Looking up, she realised it was her idiotic, sulky brother, Ichigo.

"Me too," Rien apologised, lifting her hand to caress his cheek.

"You look as awful as I feel, Ichi-Nii," Rien observed as she linked her arm around his.

"So where are we going?" Rien brightly asked, happy to no longer be walking alone.

"Nowhere," Ichigo heavily answered.

"You know what they say, Ichi – 'misery loves company', so here you are I guess," Rien laughed and began dragging Ichigo along.

_Silence. Footsteps. More silence._

"Fucking sucks, right," Rien finally spoke after a long strolling silence.

"More than I can fucking feel right now," Ichigo admitted. "I'm almost numb," he revealed.

"Why are you walking the streets?" he tried to change the subject.

"_Someone_ blew a hole in my bedroom ceiling, so I got stuck with the lovebirds, and well…you know how that goes when you're miserable," Rien stated.

"Sorry about the roof." She waved his apology away like it was unnecessary.

"What a sorry pair we are. We should really stay away from those Kuchiki siblings," she suggested as she dragged her feet in time with his.

"No argument here," he agreed. "Taking a break from Byakuya?" Ichigo asked trying to imitate Byakuya's glare but failing horribly, causing Rien to finally laugh.

"I just hate him sometimes," Rien explained as her fist pounded at her side.

"Come, tell me more…," Ichigo requested as he raised his arm for her to snugly fit under it, "that's what big brothers are for," he explained, squeezing Rien around the shoulders.

"My problems are vast and plentiful – trust me, you don't want to hear them," Rien tried to avoid the subject.

"Come on, I need the distraction, and I'm always up for trash-talking Byakuya. Just give me one good reason to go over there and pick a fight with him," Ichigo managed to smile as he said it.

"You wouldn't," Rien warned, as they turned another corner.

"It depends," Ichigo reassuringly smiled.

"Should I begin with how I told him that I was gonna respect his decision to want nothing to do with me. I have avoided kissing, or hugging, or even touching him…only to have him stalk and torture me almost every second day. Sometimes my imagination runs away with me and I even sometimes think he wants me to snap and kiss him – but I would never take another kiss from him without his permission," Rien explained. She definitely wasn't going to ever steal a kiss or force Byakuya into kissing her. If he ever wanted to kiss her, it would have to be his choice.

"Byakuya is such a sadistic bastard, he probably enjoys teasing you," Ichigo suggested.

"I know it's my own fault for letting Byakuya into my inner world – now we both feel this need for eachother, like we never want to be apart. As a result, I know he has developed concern for my safety, but concern is not enough. Need is also not enough. I choose to love him, because I truly know him, and I want him to choose to love me back. I'm probably being too analytical about it," Rien conceded.

"Don't let him take away your dreams, you deserved to be loved," Ichigo confidently stated, moving his arm from her shoulder to her waist and squeezing her closer.

"Sometimes when he gets close to me I feel like he would happily kiss me, if I could bury it away and have it mean nothing more. But I don't want the empty shell of his body, I want everything all at once... Is it stupid that I want to be the only one in his heart?" her liquid blue eyes looked vulnerably up to Ichigo's soft, comforting amber.

"It's not stupid, but I'm not sure if he can get over himself for long enough to see what he could have with you," Ichigo truthfully replied.

"I just wish this constant rain would end and that I would stop feeling like I'm drowning," Rien admitted.

"I know what ya mean. Come, crash in my room," Ichigo offered, grabbing her hand in his and walking up the path to his house. "It's the least I could do after earlier," he added, silently turning the key in the front door. They both stealthily walked up the stairs and managed to get into his bedroom without waking anyone else.

"You can have the bed, I'll take the floor," he offered.

"Don't be silly, if the cupboard was good enough for Rukia," Rien began, but as she opened the cupboard and saw the small space she realised how much shorter Rukia really was.

"I knew you'd never fit," Ichigo stated in his 'I-told-you-so' tone. "Just take the bed."

"I may be almost a foot taller than her, but I'm still petite enough for us both to be able to fit on the bed," Rien suggested, looking over at Ichigo's single bed. It was so much smaller than her own double bed, and she probably shouldn't tell him that she had a tendency to roll all over the bed.

"I'm really fine with the floor," he tried to assure her, but Rein would not relent. They both eventually got onto the bed, Rien making herself as small as possible, unnecessarily so, and only taking up a ¼ of the bed, facing and almost merging with the wall next to the bed. Their shoes were discarded at the door, but they still lay on top of the covers. She silently stared at the wall for a while and then through the windows just above them.

"Do you hate Hisana?"Ichigo asked out of nowhere.

"Hate is a strong word, I don't know if I'd say _hate_. But, what kind of a person fucking abandons her baby sister in such a fucking dangerous part of town. And then she has the audacity to selfishly marry someone she can't truly give herself to, and stomps all over his heart, and then guilts him into making right something she did wrong. I would die to protect the people I love!" Rien passionately exclaimed pounding her small fist into the wall, and then rubbing her hand.

"I guess maybe I do hate her," Rien softly admitted.

"Me too," Ichigo chuckled. "I was just checking we were on the same page," he explained. "I don't know if I can ever forgive her for abandoning Rukia as a baby. Any number of bad things could have happened to Rukia," he explained.

"I'm glad she had Renji to protect her, even then," he finally admitted the thought he had been contemplating.

"Yeah. Can we change sides? I've gotten used to sleeping on the left," Rien requested, getting up from the bed and removing her jersey.

"You mean when you used to date Ishida," Ichigo teased as he took his jacket and belt off, but he stayed in his dark blue jeans and vest. They both got under the covers. Ichigo lay flat, with his right arm above his head, and stared at the ceiling. Rien's back was to him, and she also stared forward into his empty desk and chair a few feet away.

"Rien, I already told my old man that there's this dance tomorrow, and I was going to ask Rukia…,"

"Sure, I'd love to," Rien didn't need Ichigo to finish the question. She would do whatever she could to be there for him. She could feel how much he loved Rukia in the way he sighed her name. This was not going to be easy for him.

_Silence._

"Do you think he's thinking about me?" Rien finally asked, knowing Ichigo was still awake.

"How could he not," Ichigo compassionately assured her. "Byakuya would be insane if he didn't already love you."

_More silence._

"I would die before I let anyone hurt you, or Yuzu, or Karin. I would do whatever it took to keep you guys safe," he said as he turned and snaked his arm around her. "Sleep, Rien, I'm here," Ichigo said as he pulled her closer to him and buried his face in the strawberry scent of her hair, forcing Rien to use more of the bed than she allowed herself.

"I'll protect you," he tiredly said as he kissed the back of her head and exhaled into her hair, "even from _him_," he softly whispered into her hair, almost inaudible by now.

And finally, Rien felt protected and safe, like she used to feel, in Ishida's arms. She exhaled all the tension she had been holding in, and allowed herself to be swept away by exhaustion, assured that she would be protected in her brother's arms. "Sleep tight, Ichi-Nii," she whispered to the already sleeping Ichigo as she too finally drifted off.

* * *

The warm sun shone through Ichigo's window and warmed them both. Although Rien's eyes were closed, she had that unexplainable feeling like she was being watched. She slowly opened her bleary eyes, and she began to focus on the beaming, hairy, almost crying face that was mere inches from hers.

Shock took over.

"Um…," she turned and buried her head in…No…NO, this can't…this can't be…Ichigo's shoulder.

"Rein-chan, you have finally taken pity on my son…and made my son into a man," Kurosaki Isshin cried inches away from them, hugging himself, trying to hold in all his excitement. Ichigo's father promptly received Ichigo's fist in his face.

"Nothing can ruin this day for me," Isshin declared, undeterred by the punch or Ichigo pulling the covers over his and Rien's heads. Isshin had always tried to push Rien and Ichigo together, until he heard the rumour she was dating Ishida. Isshin had then cried for a week after, asking Rien to take Ichigo back into the imaginary relationship he thought they had.

"I get the picture. Do you want privacy for round two?" Isshin continued to excitedly jump around the room, like he had downed a case of red bull.

"Ichi-Nii," Rien whispered against Ichigo's shoulder under the covers. Ichigo's eyes shot open, and he finally realised how inappropriate it might look to his father to see Rien asleep in his arms.

Ichigo jumped out of bed, as though he had been electrocuted, and kicked his hyperactive father into the passage.

"Why the hell are you in my room, you nosy old fart?" Ichigo insulted.

"Ishida-kun and Hime-kun were worried and looking for Rien-chan, and they wanted your help, so I came up to wake you," Isshin explained and rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh, no!" Rien yelped and sprang out of bed. "Pass me my jersey and shoes," she commanded Ichigo.

"Were they tossed aside during the throws of passion, Rien-chan?" Isshin slyly asked. Rien turned copper, didn't answer, and busied herself with tying her laces.

"I don't know what perverted things you think happened here, while we were both fully clothed," Ichigo pointed out, "but we just fell asleep," Ichigo explained, looking more like a strawberry than ever due to Isshin's suggestions.

"My son, you don't have to explain things to me. Lunch is ready, and after last night, you both must need it," Isshin smiled. Ichigo threw his shoe at his father who expertly dodged and went downstairs, where everyone had already heard everything the loud-mouthed Isshin was beaming about.

Ishida and Inoue were seated at the Kurosaki dining table, arms folded. Inoue looked amused, but Ishida looked pissed off.

"Sorry, I went for a walk and ran into Ichigo. I didn't mean to worry you both," Rien apologised to them. Ishida's expression softened once Inoue elbowed him in the ribs.

"You should have seen how cute my future daughter-in –law looked, sleeping in my son's arms. Son, you have your father's good taste…." Isshin was cut off by Ichigo hitting him with a hot frying pan.

"It wasn't like that," Ichigo tried to assure them while inventing a deeper shade of red.

"Of course it wasn't, Kurosaki" Ishida stated, annoyed.

* * *

**Author's Note**

There is a big instalment of my thoughts at the end of the next chapter. Poor Ichigo, but he is such a good guy, and I wanted to give him 'screen' time. For all those Hisana lovers out there – I'm still not sorry... but to each their own, I guess (This is me censoring the rest of my comments on this subject). R&R

**~Willow~**


	28. I Can't Pretend Anymore

**Supernova**

_By Willow Athena_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach or any of its characters, but Rien and this story are definitely mine

**Author's****note:** This chapter is for all those fangirls out there.

* * *

**CHAPTER 28 – I Can't Pretend Anymore**

* * *

After an uncomfortable lunch with Isshin, Yuzu , and Karin, they all went to Inoue's so Rien could shower, change, and collect all her things to take home. Rien hadn't worn human clothes in such a long time, and she had forgotten how much more comfortable she felt in them. There were a lot less layers – just low riding tight blue jeans, semi-heeled boots, a simple dark blue t-shirt, and a long flowing black jersey – since she always felt cold. Rien's fringe fell over her right eye as she looked into the mirror, and she felt like herself once more. Maybe it was the clothes, or maybe it was finally getting a good night's sleep, but, she felt a lot more like herself at that moment.

They all joked and lazily walked down the street on that Saturday afternoon. The girls talking about what Rien should wear to the dance, and Ishida and Ichigo silently glaring and insulting eachother, as usual. Ichigo had gotten the standard black and white tux, so anything Rien chose to wear would be fine. It would have been too lame to go alone or with his sisters, and even though that's how he felt about Rien, she was not technically his sister and he knew he would score lots of points with all the girls for having such a beautiful lady on his arm, not to mention the respect from his drooling friends. And anyway, Ichigo thought, Rien needed a distraction from that Byakuya bastard.

"Hey, I'm home!" Rien screamed as they got into the house behind the shop. Only at home could you be this rude and loud, she thought.

"Here," Yoruichi shouted her position.

_Ah… home!_

They all went into the dining room and comfortably lounged around the room. Yoruichi looked worried and distracted, like she wanted to ask or tell Rien something. "I was fine, I just slept over at Ichigo's," Rien assured her.

"I know," she sighed. It was unlike her to be this heavy.

"I guess I'll go unpack. Is my bedroom ready?" Rien stood up and walked across the room to Yoruichi.

"Wait, Rien," Yoruichi warned, but Rien had already stopped in her tracks, frozen in the middle of the room.

Byakuya walked in, in his gigai, in human clothes, both his hands in his jeans pockets, his eyes downcast. The picture he cast was so surreal – like it shouldn't be possible for someone to look so easily casual, and yet still so stoically noble at the same time. He wore fitted black jeans, a white belt with a silver buckle, and a long sleeved shirt beneath a zipped up light blue jacket. He looked so much younger in human clothes. Still breathtaking, maybe even more so than usual.

Byakuya's eyes took Rien's frozen appearance in. He had never seen clothes she was better suited in, she looked at ease, even in her tensed state. Her '_B__oys __are __stupid. __Throw __rocks __at __them_' t-shirt was confusing and shorter than it should be, Byakuya thought, exposing a small rift through which her belly button teasingly peaked. He found himself wondering what it would feel like to have his hands run up the smooth curve of her hip and under that t-shirt, lifting it higher, and higher…

_Dead __kittens_.

He controlled his dishonourable thoughts, sauntering in with an air of aloofness. He crossed his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall behind Yoruichi. Rien said nothing but regarded him with confusion, until he looked up at her.

When his eyes met hers, her first instinct was to run towards him and jump into his arms. She read the same need in his eyes, and just as he did, she fought against it. If they both felt this need, why should she always be the one to give in – if he wanted to be in her arms as much as she wanted to be in his, then he would have to come and take what he wanted – or live with the consequences. She would not let his expressive eyes draw her into being reckless with her heart any longer.

She should have been mad, furious even, that he had had the nerve to follow her here. But she could not deny the peace it gave her to have him within reach, to breathe the same air as him, even if they never touched.

"What's _he_ doing here?" Ichigo protectively scowled from behind her.

"Since Rien has entered the world of the living, there has been another sharp rise in the number of hollows over Karakura town," Byakuya's deep voice echoed in the silence.

"But my Soul Phone hasn't beeped once since 11 o'clock last night," Ichigo protested.

"The hollow numbers were so great that the presence of a taichou was required," Byakuya explained. "I volunteered to efficiently eradicate the problem."

Ichigo disbelievingly 'hmphed'. Byakuya _volunteer_ to help! Ichigo could smell something else was going on.

"The greatest concentration of hollows was around, Kurosaki Ichigo's house, so I concluded that Rien must be with him," Byakuya said, looking in Ichigo's direction.

Ichigo derisively snorted. _Concluded_ was just Byakuya's fancy way of saying – _guessed_.

"I turned off your Soul Phone and dispatched all of the hollows myself, knowing you would be with Rien if she required protection," Byakuya added, annoyed but otherwise unaffected by Ichigo's insolence.

"Oh…," Ichigo deflated. "Why couldn't any of us sense your reiatsu?" Ichigo was not the best at sensing reiatsu, but he should have felt Byakuya fight, especially so close to his house.

"Because I am controlling and masking my reiatsu, something you obviously know nothing about, Kurosaki Ichigo," Byakuya coolly insulted.

_Bastard_, Ichigo thought, but said nothing.

Rien unfroze herself and walked further away from Byakuya and Yoruichi. Yoruichi was obviously on his side this time, they had both probably discussed the best ways to keep Rien safe. Rien walked to where Inoue and Ishida stood, slightly annoyed with herself. The thought that all of this happened just because she wanted a few days away from Byakuya, sickened her.

"It was important that whoever was sent would be able to mask their reiatsu completely. That is why a tiachou needed to be sent, just like last time. Any other shinigami would not have the skill and would simply add to the already large pool of reiastu attracting all the hollows to Karakura town," Kisuke revealed from the doorway.

Ishida's eyes widened. "In order for you to completely mask your reiatsu, you would have had to fight every hollow head on – without releasing your shikai," Ishida gasped in disbelief.

"And in this gigai," Byakuya dryly added.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," Ichigo crassly began. "Are you trying to tell me that you spent all night, manually killing every fucking hollow before it got to us?" Ichigo asked, thumbing Rien when he said 'us'.

"Of course," Byakuya confidently stated, thoroughly impressing the whole room.

"The hollows, regardless of the number, could never match my speed and power – even in this gigai," Byakuya proudly stated.

"Why were all the hollows after Rien? She doesn't have any reiatsu." Ishida tried to change the subject away from the awe-inspiring Byakuya.

"Even though _we_ may not be able to sense it, whatever type of reiatsu Rien has is instinctively picked up by the hollows, and by their sheer magnitude and their behaviour as they got closer to her, it appears that they find her reiatsu almost irresistible," Byakuya concluded.

"It is dangerous for her to remain here," Byakuya solemnly stated, his eyes now downcast, his hair, normally held aloft by the kenseiken, fell to obscure his left eye.

"I will protect her. She can stay if she wants to," Ichigo argued.

"You cannot protect her night and day, and then protect the people in Karakura town as well," Kisuke countered, and Yoruichi nodded.

"We will all help," Ishida stated, moving protectively in front of Rien.

"It is not safe for the residents if she stays. She must learn to identify and control her reiatsu before she can return," Byakuya explained. He looked past Ishida to Rien and her liquid blue instantly met his quicksilver.

"Rien, it is your choice, but I request that you consider what I have said," Byakuya's deep voice almost betrayed the concern he felt for her. Rien relinquished his gaze and nodded.

"Rien, you can't seriously be thinking about it," Ichigo shouted.

"We will find a way," Ishida insisted.

"You should not have to," Rien replied, holding Ishida's fisted hand between her palms.

"I will return," she confidently stated, turning towards Byakuya. "We may leave tomorrow morning, but I must first keep a promise," she informed him.

Byakuya nodded. He had not expected her to agree so easily. She usually fought so hard against him.

"So, we only have a few hours before this dance, what should I wear?" Rien brightly said, turning towards the quiet Inoue.

Rien wanted at least this night with her friends – who knew when or if she would ever be allowed to return. Although Byakuya had given her the choice to stay, Rien knew that he was probably under orders to bring her back to Soul Society, and his home – where the protection spells around Seireitei would never allow this type of incident to ever occur. Seireitei was exactly like the glass prison Mayuri had kept her in, just a bigger room with higher ceilings, and the illusion of freedom.

"I'll ask Tatsuki to come over. She is dead-set on not going, but you guys have similar taste, maybe she will have something you like," Inoue offered, suddenly excited at the prospect of playing dress up with Rien.

When Tatsuki arrived, overloaded with clothes, Rien, Inoue and Tatsuki all excused themselves to Rien's room. Yoruichi, Kisuke and Byakuya were all huddled in a corner in what had looked like a serious discussion. A few minutes later they all dispersed, and Yoruichi went over to discuss dresses with the girls. Ichigo and Ishida were for once both in agreement, and glared and scowled at Byakuya while whispering with eachother. They were no doubt trying to devise some plan that would allow Rien to stay for more than just this night.

"Tatsuki-chan, you have so many beautiful dresses," Rien remarked sifting through the many unopened and unused garment bags Tatsuki had brought. Tatsuki's warm brown eyes betrayed her easy going nature. Tatsuki was dressed in dark green pants and a t-shirt with a cute looking robot on it…very few of these dresses looked like they were her style.

"This blue dress would be pretty with your eyes." Inoue pushed a dress towards her and smiled broadly.

"Ichigo is gonna be in a black and white tux, so I'm not sure if this blue will go well with him." Rien tried to let her down easy. Rien was _almost_ as busty as Inoue, and she knew the strappy dress would show far too much cleavage – it was obviously better suited to the less curvaceous Tatsuki. Rien wasn't a girly girl like Inoue, and Inoue was right when she said Tatsuki's taste was similar to Rien's. But, Tatsuki's mom and Inoue had bought Tatsuki most of these unworn dresses – and Rien could see why some were unopened. Some were far too girly, and others far too sexy for either Rien or Tatsuki's taste.

"Why aren't you going to the dance, Tatsuki? Do you wanna come with us?" Rien offered.

"No thanks," Tatsuki jovially declined.

"Isn't there anybody you wanted to go with?" Inoue investigated. Tatsuki was always so secretive when it came to her feelings.

"The only people I would have considered going with already have dates, and all my team mates from Karakura Razors and the Dojo are going – and I know I'll never hear the end of it if they see me in a dress," Tatsuki explained.

"Ah…I've found the perfect dress!" Yoruichi suddenly exclaimed. Rien groaned in response, knowing there would be no use fighting her older sister once she had found the _perfect_ dress.

"Have fun at the dance," Tatsuki shouted as she closed Rien's bedroom door. "And give Ichigo a kick in the pants for me," Tatsuki added as she passed Ichigo scowling in the corridor.

"Pervs," she insulted Ichigo and Ishida who both turned red.

* * *

Rien hated the dress. Rien's now smoky eyes raked down her metallic silver dress, and she was still utterly unconvinced. She hated being Yoruichi's life size doll, but she loved Yoruichi, so…here Rien was in a dress she hated.

Ichigo and Rien were going to meet their friends at the dance in half an hour, so it was already too late to change the dress now – even with help, it had been difficult enough to get into. She would need Yoruichi's help to get out of it later. Rien was not comfortable in the backless dress, the low cut of the absent back made the dress look almost indecent as it rested at the base of her spine. Rien was not used to any of this, she was even ¼ of a foot taller in the silver high heeled shoes. The front of the dress was simple and not revealing in any way, Rien knew the backless back was the attraction of the dress. Yoruichi had refused to let her hide it under a shawl, even though Rien had protested that she would get cold.

Rien had been sitting in her room, fully dressed, for longer than she should have, and she knew she had already made them late, but Ichigo had been polite enough not to push her to leave. Rien had been contemplating how to avoid accidentally bumping into Byakuya in the corridor while she looked like this. She finally concluded that Byakuya would probably be patrolling the skies due to her decision to keep her promise to Ichigo. She could not keep Ichigo waiting any longer, she finally decided.

She silently stalked through the corridor towards the dining room, where Ichigo would be waiting, and she managed this without falling or encountering Byakuya. She was right, he was probably on patrol, she thought.

"Yoruichi, I'm still not sure about this," Rein said as she entered the dining room.

When Rien ventured to look up, Ichigo's mouth was conspicuously open. Isshin, Yuzu, and Karin were there, as well as everyone from the Urahara shop. Yoruichi's eyes began to well with tears, and Kisuke took off his hat and started to fan himself, his eyes also suspiciously glistening. They were all waiting to see her and Ichigo off and take a few pictures before they left. Isshin immediately began jumping around the room and thanking God and his wife for his beautiful daughter-in-law.

Yoruichi looked puzzled at the 'daughter-in –law' comment, but Rien just shook her head. Yoruichi went over to her, gathered Rien's long raven hair and moved it to the right side and over the front of her right shoulder. Rien did not give in to Yoruichi's insistence that the dress would look better with her hair up, so everyone could get a better view of the dress. The main reason Rien left her hair down was so she would not have to answer questions about the tattoo on the back of her neck.

The front of her dress looked like silver precariously draped around her neck and poured down the front of her body, hugging her every womanly curve. Ichigo finally smiled at her, closing his mouth in the process.

"You look really dashing," Rien complimented Ichigo's tuxed appearance, after her own inspection was over. "Handsome even," Rien added, just to see him blush again, and nervously scratch the back of his head, messing up his hair in the process.

"You too…pretty, I mean," Ichigo fumbled. Damn, his friends were gonna cry when they saw her. He found it difficult to believe how beautiful his little sister looked. Byakuya was stupid.

After a few family photos, and embarrassing comments from Isshin, Ichigo and Rien finally left for the dance.

* * *

Ichigo and Rien took the mandatory couple's photo at the entrance to the dance. Ichigo only noticing the backless dress when he had to stand behind her and put his hands on her…_hips_. Ichigo had turned an interesting shade of red, and it made Rien curious about how the photo would turn out.

Ichigo confidently walked into the ballroom of the University, with Rien on his arm, letting all the guys know she was with him, and that he wasn't like one of those losers who had to bring his sister to the dance – even though he had brought his _sister_ to the dance. Well, what others didn't know wouldn't hurt his reputation.

Rien and Ichigo had as many gasps when they approached as when they walked past people. Rien inwardly cursed the dress – why did the back have to be so much more revealing than the front.

Rien finally spotted their friends. Inoue was waving furiously in their direction, Ishida dashingly smiling next to her in his exquisite blue suit, Tatsuki next to him in a long strapless black dress…Tatsuki? Wait, why was Tatsuki here? Did she finally decide to come after all? A song ended, the crowd finally cleared, and Rien's eyes darted to Tatsuki's right. Byakuya.

Rien stopped dead in her tracks, halting Ichigo as well. "What?" Ichigo asked as his gaze slowly followed hers. "What the fuck is he doing here?" Ichigo groaned and dragged a reluctant Rien towards their friends.

Byakuya knew the way Rien's body moved, and had immediately spotted them as they entered. His heart had jumped into his throat. Was it acceptable to wear a dress like that out in public? Now that she was inches from him, the dress looked like quicksilver poured over her naked body and now bonded with her supple flesh.

"You look so beautiful." Inoue hugged Rien, who accidentally turned her back towards Byakuya, but quickly turned away again. Byakuya's eyes had widened slightly before he could control it, and he indulgently drank in the way the metallic silver of the dress looked against the gold lustre of her naked skin – it was truly breathtaking.

A predatory urge rose from somewhere deep inside him, he was above this, it was not something he had ever felt before…he couldn't bring himself to think it, and yet he could not deny feeling it. Intense desire mixed with passion. It was as volatile as she was. He strangled a possessive growl in his throat before it escaped as he watched the Quincy hug her and dare to place his hands on the bare skin of her back.

"I'm glad you decided to come, Tatsuki. Byakuya." Rien nodded in his direction, only to be polite to Tatsuki. "Come, let's get something to drink," Rien suggested to all the girls, and they were off. Rien had to get out of there and immediately started concocting reasons to run away.

"Shouldn't you be out patrolling," Ichigo accused, once all the girls had left.

"Yoruichi and Urahara Kisuke have decided to do tonight's patrol, considering that I had single-handedly done the patrol all last night," Byakuya informed Ichigo and Ishida as he momentarily lingered on Rien's back as she walked over to the bar. "I am here to protect Rien, should any hollows get through their defences," he justified.

"We would have been sufficient to protect her in the unlikely event that anything happened," Ishida protested.

"When I have decided to protect someone, I do not rely on others to do it for me," determination reinforced Byakuya's every word. He was serious. He would not allow anything to happen to her, not allow her out of his sight, and Ichigo and Ishida could not fault him for this.

Rien sipped the glass of champagne at the bar, in no hurry to return to their dates. Rien could see them from across the dance floor, they all looked like they were discussing something serious. It suddenly dawned on Rien that Yoruichi knew – of course she did. That's why she had suddenly insisted on this dress. Byakuya's eyes caught hers from across the dance floor and she almost choked on the champagne she was swallowing. Inoue and Tatsuki rubbed her back as she recovered.

Byakuya wore a well-tailored black suit, with a black inner waistcoat, a white collared shirt, and a black tie. Only Byakuya could take something so simple and make it look so heartbreakingly handsome. Now that Rien saw all the fitted clothes he wore today, she realised how much the loosely layered shinigami uniform hid. Who knew he had such nice…_legs_.

"Tatsuki, what made you change your mind about the dance?" Rien finally asked what she had been wondering. It wasn't so much a 'what' as a 'who', Rien thought.

"When I left you guys with the dresses, Rukia's brother offered to walk me home, even though I said he didn't need to bother. When we got to my house, he more like told me," Tatsuki acknowledged, leaning against the bar.

"It was strange. He bowed, took my hand and said, 'I will escort you to the dance tonight'. It didn't really sound like I could say no, and then it got worse as I heard my mom jumping up and down and crying with joy behind me," Tatsuki spoke with irritation. Byakuya was brilliant, Tatsuki had no hope, he had chosen the perfect moment to _ask_ her.

"I think my mom is infatuated with him," Tatsuki added while running her fingers through her spiky hair.

"Can we go back now," Inoue pleaded.

"Miss him already?" Rien teased. Inoue simply blushed.

Rien handed Ichigo a glass of champagne as the group sat down at an empty table on the edge of the dance floor. Ishida immediately pulled Inoue close to him and searched for her lips, only to be rewarded by them compliantly parting to allow him entry. It made Rien and Ichigo sick, Byakuya glared, and Tatsuki blushed. Ishida soon enticed Inoue into a dance, and they immediately set off. Rien rolled her eyes at Ichigo who smirked back and put his arm around her chair. Rien leaned closer to Ichigo, to preserve the illusion that they were dating.

Ichigo was smug as his friends came over to the table to chat and not so stealthily perv over his date. Ichigo was not much of a dancer, and Rien had always managed to avoid the activity. They both were content to whisper and chat to eachother about what they had missed out on in eachother's lives. They sometimes included Tatsuki, when they were not talking about training or Soul Society, though they knew she had some idea about where they all occasionally disappeared to. Tatsuki had caught a whisper about 'a katana' and 'training', which led Tatsuki to welcoming the challenge of a new opponent, since she herself did kendo. Rien begrudgingly agreed to the insistent challenge, after Tatsuki insulted Ichigo's kendo skills by saying he was 'shit', and the throbbing vein in Ichigo's temple threatened to explode.

They all mostly talked about how sickening Inoue and Ishida were, and Tatsuki related a comically funny, but particularly nauseating story about walking in on Ishida and Inoue in the medical supply closet of the hospital when she was supposed to meet them for lunch.

Tatsuki had originally tried to compel Byakuya into a conversation, but found that it was like pulling teeth, and soon joined everyone else in ignoring his presence. Rien had found that she was able to conjure the original anger she should of felt when she first saw Byakuya. He should never have intruded on her one night with her friends.

Ichigo, Rien and Tatsuki were finally dragged to the dance floor by the energetic and love-struck Inoue. Ichigo and Rien non-committedly bobbed near eachother during and up tempo song. A slew of unknown men kept _accidentally_ bumping into Rien, so she decided to move into Ichigo's personal space and put her arms on his shoulders for safety. Ichigo protectively scowled at all the guys chancing a glance at Rien's naked back, unthinkably behind their own partner's backs. Ichigo didn't know where to put his hands, and had them hover near Rien's _hips_ until she pressed them firmly to her sides, to let him know it was ok. A slow song started and Rien and Ichigo exited the dance floor like and Espada had aimed a cero at it.

When they returned to their table, they encountered Byakuya turning down yet another offer to dance, from one of the many swooning girls who had congregated in groups to drool over him and discuss him from afar. It couldn't be helped, Rien thought, Byakuya looked better than any male model who could have stepped out of the pages of vogue. He just had this unexplainable presence about him.

He was in a place where no one knew or cared that he was Kuchiki Byakuya. His reputation did not precede him. They did not know to be afraid or stay away. Without the kenseikan and all those restricting layers of clothes to hide behind, his glare did not seem as stern, and instead made him look like the brooding 'bad boy' all the girls flocked to for rejection. And no amount of rejection seemed to deter them.

Byakuya suddenly stood up and expectantly put his hand out in front of his date, Tatsuki. Tatsuki automatically rose to meet him, and looked to Rien and Ichigo for help, but they both looked just as shocked as she was. Byakuya had decided to ask his date to dance and stop the barrage of silly girls offering themselves to him. He hated the way they accidentally fell into his lap as he sat at the table, or how they bumped into him when he leaned against the wall, but most of all he hated being polite and pretending to be interested in their feeble excuses.

As he danced with Tatsuki, he reflected on the numerous times he had had to supress the urge to call Senbonzakura out and release his bankai. Most of these occasions had been due to the predatory stares of some of the men, which at times made them bold enough to attempt to touch what was his. Rien's ability to dodge these advances and attempted touches had saved many of their lives.

Rien sat at the table and watched Byakuya slow dance with Tatsuki, she huffily folded her bare arms across her chest, trying not to make her irritation too obvious.

"Fucking idiot," Ichigo remarked next to Rien.

"You know he hasn't taken his eyes off of you all night," Ichigo informed her. Rien looked down at her shoe, tearing her own eyes reluctantly away from Byakuya. "And don't believe his bullshit that he's platonically watching over you, like he's some guardian angel or whatever."

"What he feels doesn't matter if he chooses to be alone," Rien reminded Ichigo.

"I'll be okay, I'm just going to get some air," Rien sighed to Ichigo. "Alone," she added as Ichigo stood up as well.

Rien walked out into the garden outside the ballroom, she stopped at the flowing cherub fountain in the middle. She sighed as she noticed couples passionately kissing in secluded corners of the vast garden. Rien looked up into the night and noticed how many more stars were visible at home.

_Home._

When had she began thinking of his house as _home_? It was not his house, it was him, she realised – wherever he was felt like home. That's what it felt like to kiss him, or be in his arms – home, like she was exactly where she needed to be.

Rien closed her eyes to listen to the music filtering in from the dance floor, mingling with the night time air. She had enjoyed her evening with her friends, it was exactly what she had needed, she realised – besides the fact that Byakuya had intruded. Yoruichi had been right, the dress and its effect on people had made her feel attractive, even the unwanted attention had been nice for a change. It had felt good to feel desired once more. Every man in Seireitei was afraid to approach her due to the unsquashable, unfounded rumour about her relationship with Byakuya. Rien closed her eyes as the wind caressed her face and a new song began playing.

"Would you do me the honour?" His deep baritone shocked her into reality. Her eyes suddenly snapped open.

"I…I've never…I don't know how," Rien explained as she stared at his expectant hand in front of her. What she should have said was _No_, because she was mad at him and didn't really want to.

"Trust me," he uncharacteristically said, in his smoothest tone.

Rien immediately placed her hand in his, out of reflex. The way his misty grey eyes held hers made a nervous tension automatically rise in her – like he was just a guy, and she was just a girl, and he was asking her for something more than just a dance.

_And all I can taste is this moment…_

She put her left arm on his shoulder, and placed her small right hand within his, noticing the contrast of his silver skin against her gold lustre.

_And all I can breathe is your life…_

She controlled a tremble as she inhaled his subtle sakura scent. The gigai's hands felt so different now that Byakuya was within the empty shell. She tried to keep a polite distance but his right arm wrapped possessively around her without hesitation.

_Cause sooner or later it's over…_

His fingertips teasingly moved down her bare skin to finally rest on the small of her back. His elegant hand was warm and large enough to eclipse the small of her back. His warmth made her shiver in his arms.

_I just don't want to miss you tonight…_

He possessively pulled her shivering body against his, always holding her gaze. He could not resist having her in his arms any longer.

_And I don't want the world to see me_

_Cause I don't think that they'd understand…_

He didn't care who saw, anymore, this was where he wanted to be. With her, always. His movements were so sure, she could not help but let him lead, take her wherever he wished. She was dancing, with the man she loved – it almost seemed unreal.

_When everything's made to be broken…_

His touch almost paralysed her, but his decisive movements and skill made them look graceful together. Almost floating, but barely moving from the spot where they ebbed and flowed into eachother, transfixed.

_I just want you to know who I am…_

Byakuya leaned down slightly and relinquished her gaze. He let his cheek brush hers as he held her even tighter against him. His mind, body, and soul felt at peace for once, and he allowed his eyes to contently slide shut and her strawberry lavender infusion to intoxicate him.

_And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming…_

He knew every logical objection to what he was now doing. How could he expect their relationship to last past this moment? Then perhaps he would have to make sure that this moment never ended.

_Or the moment of truth in your lies…_

He loved her.

...

"Byakuya-san…OH, oh…sorry," Inoue gushed, turning scarlet.

Rien instantly recoiled, deftly slipping out of Byakuya's arms.

"I…I guess it can wait," Inoue said, turning on her heels.

"No...No, it's okay," Rien tried to assure her, now also turning an interesting shade of copper.

"Oh, um…" Inoue turned to address Byakuya, noticing his unhappy glare. "I just wanted to tell Byakuya-san that Tatsuki got bored, so Ichigo took her home," Inoue explained, wishing with all her might that she hadn't interrupted the intimate scene. She had never seen two people happier to be in eachother's arms, than the second before she had walked in on them.

Byakuya simply nodded in acknowledgement.

"Ishida and I are also leaving." Inoue concocted the lie on the spot. "I was wondering…,"Inoue began, but was not allowed to finish.

Rien began to walk towards Inoue and away from Byakuya. "You're right, I'm also quite tired, maybe we should…" Rien was in the mood to run as far and as fast as she could.

"Yes, maybe Byakuya-san can take you home," Inoue determinedly suggested, slyly winking at Rien. Rien's face was pleading, but Inoue ignored it and waved goodbye to Byakuya.

By the time Rien had managed to build up the courage to turn around, Byakuya was annoyed. This made Rien become irritable – what did he have to be annoyed about.

"Can we go?" she asked in irritation.

"If you wish," as cold as ever.

Rien turned around and walked determinedly through the ballroom, and exited into the parking lot. She felt warms hands place a toasty black jacket over her shoulders.

"You're freezing," he dismissively commented, as she gratefully slipped her small arms into the sleeves of the large sakura-scented jacket.

"This way," he added, walking off.

Of course he would hire a limo. He probably researched dance etiquette, like he was preparing for a mission rather than a night out. It irritated Rien. They silently sat the on either end of the limo for the short ride home.

The Urahara house was dark when they entered, and Rien tried to be as quiet as possible. Not even bothering to look at him. Her anger at what had happened seethed within her. She stormed off to her room, without another word or glance to him. He did not look happy with her either, and she felt she was doing them both a favour by not discussing the incident.

How could he! How could he dare torture her that way? She knew she would pay for allowing herself to stay in his arms, long after his smug enjoyment dissipated. He just wanted to feel wanted, she decided, like she had felt when those unknown guys fell all over her and complimented her. She had promised to stay away from him, and when he held her, she felt that promise slip away. She was just as mad at herself as she was at him.

"Why the fuck won't this open," she struggled in anger. "YORUICHI !" she beckoned, she could now care less if she woke the whole fucking house.

Byakuya shunpo'ed in, barely wearing his undone and unbuttoned dress shirt, still in his black suit pants. She had interrupted him. "Is something wrong?" his tone was urgent.

"Does your name sound like Yoruichi? Yor-uich-i," she angrily sounded out her sister's name. "Doesn't sound like it to me," Rien added, turning away from him.

Fucking distracting, that's what he was!

"Yoruichi and Urahara will be out on patrol all night. I thought you might be in danger," Byakuya explained, glaring at her and slamming her door shut. She turned around to glare back at him. She felt a small leak of reiatsu before he controlled it and stalked purposefully towards her. Rien backtracked until she hit the foot of her bed. Constantly holding all his reiatsu in made it difficult to concentrate on other things – like concealing his emotions and lying to her. He caught her bare shoulders, just like he had the other day.

"What is it?" he asked, his tone deadly.

"Nothing," she lied.

"It was obviously something. My patience with you…," he growled.

"You can't help," Rien insisted, melting into his warm hands even then.

"Try me," he offered, he was losing steam being this close to her.

"The zip...is stuck," she whispered, turning copper.

"Oh…," he was surprised.

"Turn," he used his most commanding voice. She obeyed, but looking at her beautiful unmarred skin was distracting. His fingers traced the outline of her body. Women's clothing was confusing. He felt her shiver beneath his touch, and it caused that unrestrained feeling to rise within him again.

"Where is it?" he whispered behind her ear, knowing from previous experience what it would do to her. The electricity pulsed through her body, and she allowed herself to lean against his exposed chest, her bare skin now touching his.

_It was too much._

He moved her strawberry hair over her shoulder again. Byakuya undid the clasp behind her neck, Rien caught the cascading fabric before it exposed her. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck. "Not that one," she nervously said as she shyly spoke over her left shoulder. She manoeuvred her hand between them, to the base of her spine. He reluctantly moved away and looked at what she was doing.

"It's not at a good angle for me," she added, trying to distract herself from the torture she was now experiencing, and remembering to hold the front of the dress up at the same time.

_Dead __kittens_, she thought.

He placed his one knee on the ground, making himself eye level with the disobedient zipper. It took almost no strength to open it and release the hugging fabric. He automatically began to blush at the beginnings of black lace as he was a centimetre from the top. Her free hand immediately stopped him.

"Thanks," she nervously said. "I think I can take it from here," she stated, holing the partially opened zip together with her free hand. She did not turn around to look at him, or the dangerously handsome way his hair fell over his desire filled eyes as he rose up to tower possessively over her. She could not play his games anymore. He wanted her to kiss him and forget, to love him and forget, to touch his soul, and in the very next moment forget it all. No more! She could not pretend anymore.

_Dead kittens._

He wanted to stay, but he could feel her silently scream for him to leave. He said nothing. All she heard after suffocating silence was the click of her bedroom door as it opened and then closed.

_Dead silence._

* * *

**Author's Note**

This is of course just my opinion, but when I read this back, it seemed like this chapter would naturally be a few Bleach episodes. I thought it had all the drama and quirkiness of a real Bleach episode and Rien seemed to be organically apart of all of their lives (Which is what I was going for – but you be the judge). Both Byakuya and Rien have such strong personalities, that I sometimes feel like I have no control over them even though I'm the writer.

I was thinking of Byakuya in that 'Tonight, Tonight' intro Bleach used to have a long time ago, and I couldn't help myself. I wanted Byakuya to be out of his comfort zone, and to see how much of his control would slip if Rien was instead in _her _comfort zone– the Real world. The song was _Iris_ by Goo Goo Dolls. Inoue and Ishida are so adorable together – I wish it would happen for real in the anime. Ishida deserves to be happy, and yum.

I hope everyone is happy with these story progressing chapters. How do you like my new, more in depth, author's notes? Like I said, the jury is still out on whether or not I will publish anymore, so read and review. I would like any constructive feedback.

**~Willow~**


	29. Fear Is Necessary

**Supernova**

_By Willow Athena_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach or any of its characters, but Rien and this story are definitely mine

**Author's****note:** THANK YOU to all my reviewers; I really appreciate the encouragement and kind words. I'm glad I'm not just talking to myself, and that you all care about the story and characters so much. Thank you for your feedback, I really do take it all into consideration and love hearing from you after _every_ chapter. I really felt like jumping up and down like a fangirl when I read some of your reviews. Forgive me for the long chapter, but it had to be done.

* * *

**CHAPTER 29 – Fear Is Necessary**

* * *

Byakuya was awake. He waited for Yoruichi and Urahara to return. In truth he had not even tried to sleep. He had left Rien alone in her room, remaining in his undone shirt and black pants. He had leaned against her closed bedroom door for hours, waiting…for what, he didn't know. Maybe he was waiting for her to run after him and ask him to stay this time, she had never asked him to stay, not even the last time he had kissed her. Perhaps he should stop leaving, so she would not have to ask him to stay, he ironically thought.

"What are you thinking about, Byakuya-bo?" Yoruichi surprised him. He briefly wondered how long she had been standing there, but decided not to dwell on it. "Rien's door looks comfy, come scoot over," Yoruichi added, pushing him closer to the door knob so she could also lean against the door.

"I was standing guard," Byakuya lied.

Yoruichi let him have the lie.

"And you didn't even have time to fully change," she teased, taking in his almost shirtless appearance. "That's dedication for you."

"We must discuss things before Rien and I return tomorrow morning," he said more stiffly.

"Sure, Kisuke is already waiting with some tea in the dining room. I guess you've earned the right to know now," she said, walking away.

They had all congregated in the dining room and Byakuya had reluctantly accepted Kisuke's strange smelling herbal tea. Perhaps he had made it from expired merchandise from his shop, or poisoned it, Byakuya idly thought. Byakuya did not approve of Urahara Kisuke and his flagrant disregard for the rules, any rules! Kisuke had not warmed to Byakuya's icy demeanour either. Byakuya wanted to ask what he had wondered since Yoruichi had summoned him the previous night. Soul Society was never involved, Yoruichi and Urahara had managed to keep everything off of Seireitei's radar, with Ukitake's help.

Yoruichi had personally come to see Byakuya and ask for his help. Who knows what had led her to believe that he would break so many Soul Society rules and help her, but she had come to intrust him with a secret that could hurt Rien if revealed. He should have reported the new information; it was a standing order to both him and Ukitake to report any new developments in Rien's case. Although he knew neither he nor Ukitake had ever reported anything. He should have also reported the tattoo, now that he thought about it.

Byakuya had felt that he should turn them all in when Yoruichi had first burst into his bedroom. But, as soon as Yoruichi said Rien needed him, his will had crumbled and instinct took over. It seemed Rien was his _only_ exception to many things. He would do anything for her, and his eagerness to help was perhaps too revealing to Yoruichi, who had begun to call him Byakuya-bo once more, just like she used to when she cared. His previous stance on Rien had put a strain on their friendship, but now that they were on the same page, Yoruichi reverted to her old condescending ways.

"I must know what she is," Byakuya inquired.

"Why?" Kisuke asked. "_You_ knowing won't change anything," he added.

"You know _who_ she is," Yoruichi argued. Byakuya needed to understand that he knew Rien, regardless of _what_ she turned out to be.

"I would like to know if I will one day have to kill her because she is a new type of evil we have never before encountered," Byakuya said in earnest as Senbonzakura's protest rang in his ears.

"Even if she was, none of us would ever be able to kill her, not after loving her so much," Kisuke argued.

"That is precisely why she is so dangerous," Byakuya argued. Not realising that he should have denied loving her, instead of pointing out that she was dangerous.

"Just tell me," Byakuya insisted.

"I don't _know_ what she is yet, but I have an idea," Kisuke revealed.

"Well?" Byakuya pressed. He needed to know, now more than ever. His heart was in danger. It was probably too late, even if she was an evil monster, he would not be able to stop loving her. He was hoping for the worst, perhaps it would shock him out of these feelings he could not defeat. But how could evil look so innocent and trusting? How could evil love so intensely? How could it be so beautiful?

"She is both alive and dead, both shinigami and not shinigami…I believe she may be immortal, but we must protect her until she is strong enough to withstand the force of her powers," Kisuke explained.

"Byakuya-bo, do you remember the legends I told you about _Slayers_?" Yoruichi tried to be less cryptic than Kisuke. She was well aware of Kisuke's reluctance to entrust Byakuya with Rien's secret.

"She cannot be immortal, she almost died in my arms. And if she is indeed immortal, why would she require our protection?" Byakuya questioned the former head and founder of the Research Bureau. Byakuya remembered the legendary Slayers and their deadly precision, and she could not be one, they were always men, and she was _fragile_. She could not be a Slayer, and she was certainly not immortal.

"It is a common misconception," Kisuke condescendingly began, to an expressively arched eyebrow from Byakuya. "I believe her immortality allows her to keep regenerating each cell as it dies, and that she would live forever unchanged if allowed to, but she can still be killed. There have always been small clues to her immortality, my successor Kurotsuchi taichou obviously missed them, for instance, because of her immortality she cannot have children, they would serve no purpose, she does not need to procreate to ensure her genetic code will endure, she will live forever. But only if protected," Kisuke added, for emphasis.

"She is _evolving_ every day, she is getting stronger, but she is still at risk from others who would exploit her. Adaptation and accommodation are the two most simple and simultaneously complex processes ever discovered, and they are what she is instinctively best at – adapting to her environment," Kisuke hypothesised.

"Due to her time with Kurotsuchi Mayuri, her body has evolved to develop _high-speed __regeneration_ to fend off what it assumed were constant attacks. Because of her time with us, her _shunpo_ and _shunko_ are also at high levels of mastery, even though she does not often use them. Jyuushiro-kun tells us that her _aikido _and _kido_ abilities are at a fukutaichou level, maybe even higher since she picks things up so fast. It's just with you that she has not allowed herself to shine. You must stop being afraid to hurt her and train her, she will need to be able to defend herself in the future," Kisuke explained.

"She came into existence in her current form because she can never change, and her soul chose _you_ to protect it that day. When we are all old and frail, she will still be as she is now, but there will be no one left to protect her. She _must_ learn," Yoruichi added.

"We _must_ shield her from all this knowledge. She cannot know that she will eventually lose us all, I think loss is the only thing that can cause her to implode in on herself. And if she chooses to give away her life, then she will take out all of Seireitei with her," Yoruichi revealed.

"During our history lessons, do you remember reading about unexplained explosions taking out whole districts in Rukongai, hundreds and even thousands of years ago, it used to always happen around times of war, so everyone thought they were bombings. The Shihouin Clan was assigned to investigate these bombings while the Kuchiki Clan had been asked to investigate the troublesome Bantou at the time. I think that there have been others like her, always only one born, alone in the world, and always born during times of need. It's like Heaven was testing what conditions would be perfect for them to introduce this weapon.

Introducing Slayers into the world with all of their power, corrupted their souls, and often caused them to become power hungry tyrants. Unless you take time to learn to control power, the power will take control of you, and I think that's what happened to them. They used their power without discretion and understanding, and it eventually turned against them and killed them. Their power was supposed to be used to help Soul Society, but they started to think of themselves as Gods, and wanted to control every one. She is a Slayer, a weapon, born to kill.

I think whoever in Heaven was experimenting with this finally figured out that it was not enough to live, a Slayer needed something to live for, people to love, and consequently protect. She will be in agony as her powers bloom. The full force of her power alone may kill her," Yoruichi revealed.

"The wrist-guards I gave her limit her Ki. She must wear them everytime she fights or the magnitude of her unfocused Ki will tear her apart from the inside. I was previously afraid to have her with you, where I would not be able to help her. Neither her body nor her mind would have been able to withstand the force of calling out her zanpakuto last year, but it appears as though her zanpakuto may kill her if it not released soon. We now have no choice," Kisuke looked determinedly at Byakuya beneath the dark rim of his signature hat, trying to gauge his reaction and ascertain whether or not he could be trusted with their beloved Rien now that he knew the secret they had been keeping from Soul Society for almost two years.

Jyuushiro had known for a while now, and Kisuke did not think it was necessary to include Byakuya, but Yoruichi had finally convinced him that Byakuya could be trusted with Rien's secret. However, there was always that unpredictable part of Byakuya, like his mind worked in a different way to other people. Byakuya's thought processes were often complicated and hard to follow, and would no doubt make an interesting research project, but Kisuke did not think they should rely on a love he denied he even felt for Rien.

Byakuya said nothing.

Perhaps he was still clinging to denial. He could have handled her being human, or Bantou, or Vizard, or even a loathsome Quincy….but, as immortal as they are, Slayers never live forever. She would be persistently coveted for her uniqueness; even the simplicity of dying would be dangerous enough to warrant her banishment and isolation. Slayers were perfect weapons: powerful, stealthy, intelligent, and even in their deaths able to eliminate their target with no regard for themselves. Loneliness and isolation caused them to become self-destructively reckless, the only flaw in their genetic code. Power was nothing without control – Byakuya had learnt that early on. He should not love someone who would surely die, someone who danger followed like a shadow, looking for every opportunity to take her from the world, and from him. He should not love someone so vulnerable, and yet…he did.

He would protect her with everything he had, every resource at his disposal, every breath he took. He could not lose her. And no one would ever take her from him. No tests, no experiments, no isolation! As long as he made sure no one ever got the chance to hurt her, there would be no danger to Soul Society. He understood the gravity of the situation, he understood what he could lose if anyone ever found out he had conspired with these two outcasts, but there was a force stronger than gravity, and one thing he could not endure losing – Rien. He raised his eyes to Yoruichi in defeat. She had known that he would love Rien enough to protect her, more than enough, maybe even too much.

"It's just a theory, and I don't like to go around spreading rumours – you know how that turns out, Kuchiki-san. We know nothing for sure," Kisuke gave Byakuya an unnecessary warning.

"Take care of my little sister, Byakuya-bo," Yoruichi added, standing next to his seated form and ruffling his hair, her breasts pressing inappropriately against his cheek, just like they used to.

"I see you don't tie it up anymore, Byakuya-bo," she teased as he batted her hand away.

"Stop addressing me in that way," Byakuya warned.

"Aaaawe,…so cute. The little girls must have gone wild last night," she laughed as Byakuya's left eye twitched, the way it used to when they played.

Kisuke had been too paranoid; of course her little Byakuya could be trusted. Yoruichi had noticed Rien's calming influence on Byakuya, even if Rien did try his patience, she brought out everything Byakuya usually hid from everyone, and breathe life into the aspects of himself that he had previously discarded because he felt they were unnecessary. Anger was necessary, fear was necessary, passion was necessary, and love…love was nothing less than essential.

Her little Byakuya was finally back.

* * *

Rien awoke to a warm purr against her body, and she absently stroked the black cat she knew lay beside her. The purring became louder and she felt a wet nose touch hers. With her eyes still closed, she turned and gently shoved the disruptive cat away. She then felt insistent licks on her neck from a small sandpaper tongue, and she immediately groaned and tried to pull the covers. She suddenly felt the pinpricks of sharp razor-like claws on her bottom.

"Ow!" Rien screamed.

_Ah__…__home_, she thought as she jumped out of bed and rubbed her bottom.

"I think you drew blood this time," Rien accused as she pulled down the silky blue sleeping shorts she had worn to bed, checking for damage.

"You're welcome," Yoruichi said, transforming back into herself.

Ichigo burst through Rien's door and immediately began blushing and regretting the intrusion as his eyes bulged at the naked Yoruichi and the scantily clad Rien, talking to eachother as though it was all normal, on the other side of the room. They both suddenly stopped talking and stared at his reddened expression with curiosity.

"Clothes!" Ichigo yelled.

Rien wasted no time. She sprinted from the other side of the room, jumped on one side of her bed, ran across it, and launched herself in a swan dive off the other side, towards Ichigo. Ichigo turned to leave, but it was already too late, he didn't have enough time to dodge Rien. Rien deftly landed on his back, the impact making him face-plant against the opposite wall of the corridor.

"What the hell!" Ichigo shouted as he straightened, and grabbed her legs so she would not fall off.

"Come, give me a ride, Ichi-Nii," Rien demanded.

"Why?" Ichigo asked looking over his shoulder at her, confused. He hadn't given her a piggyback for a long time, and it mostly only happened when he had had to shunpo with her because she couldn't shunpo back then.

Rien's eyes vulnerably widened, impossibly large, stars sparkling all around her, and the cutest expression she could muster. "Because I'm so cute and you love me," Rien chimed in her most adorable voice.

"Fine," Ichigo agreed, smiling in spite of himself.

"Giddy up," she brightly said, wrapping her arms and legs more tightly around him.

"Hey, don't take advantage," Ichigo chuckled.

"Mush, Ichi, mush," She said excitedly pounding on his shoulders. Rien made him run around the house a few times before they settled into the dining room for breakfast.

"You can get off now," Ichigo suggested. Rien flipped lithely into the air off of his back, and gracefully landed in a bare footed crouch on Ichigo's shoulder, as light as a bird.

Kisuke clapped. "That's my girl. Feeling better, I take it," Kisuke beamed from beneath his hat, seeing so much of Yoruichi's playful attitude in her.

"Kinda," she acknowledged as Yoruichi walked in, in a loosely tied dark green robe, obviously one of Kisuke's, legs and cleavage poking out from everywhere. At least she bothered to put some clothes on, Ichigo thought.

Ichigo turned to chide Rien, who was still lightly perched on his shoulder, only to find himself at eye level with her short silky shorts and bare thighs. He began to turn red again.

"Rien," he scolded, brushing his shoulder with the opposite hand.

"Fine, Ichi," she exhaled while jumping down.

"Doesn't anyone in this house wear clothes?" Ichigo complained.

"What's wrong Ichi-Nii?" she teased, seeing his strawberry blush.

"Yoruichi is a bad influence on you, that's all," Ichigo revealed. Yoruichi pretended to look hurt.

Rien's silky blue pyjama shorts and her ¾ snug lace camisole were perfect for sleeping. Ichigo had been lucky he hadn't found her sleeping naked as usual. Rien hated feeling restricted as she slept, and this barely-there sleep ensemble was at least something.

Rien went over to Ichigo and lay on the ground next to where he sat, stretching her long bare legs over his lap. "What are you doing?" Ichigo demanded.

"I'm just showing Yoruichi and Kisuke how the girls were looking at you last night," Rien was trying to boost his ego with some truth. A fair number of girls had stared at him and dreamily concocted a reason to talk to him. Rien placed her right hand, palm up, on her forehead, trying to look coy; she lifted her belly button off the ground like an invisible string had tugged it up, arching her torso up to him, causing her shirt to rise even higher, exposing the lower crescents of her breasts.

"Ichigo, save me," she said in her most vulnerable tone, remembering to look demur and helpless.

Kisuke and Yoruichi burst out laughing. Ichigo turned red.

"It's not like that," Ichigo shouted due to embarrassment. "They were just friends," he added.

"I'll do anything, Ichigo," Rien continued to tease, her body enticingly ached up towards him, exposing the smooth slope of her bare, toned abdomen, all the way up to the peaking crescents of her…Ichigo began trying to pull her too short shirt down a little more. Rien and Ichigo wrestled eachother on the ground for a while.

"It's indecent," he argued.

"Oh Ichigo, don't be so rough," Rien continued to tease as they wrestled, using her _akido_ skills to her full advantage, making Ichigo's own momentum and strength work against him. Yoruichi and Kisuke were rolling on the ground laughing along with Rien.

"It's not like you haven't seen a naked woman before," Yoruichi shouted in hysterics, clutching her stomach. Kisuke was laughing so much he lost his hat.

Ichigo managed to get his t-shirt off and tried to put it over Rein, but wasn't having any luck.

"Ooh, we're getting serious, aren't we?" she laughed, "Be gentle," she huskily added. She managed to roll him over and pin him beneath her bare thighs.

"Maybe I should take something off too," she teased, seeing his eyes bulge and him turn scarlet when she touched the edges of her top, threatening to take it off.

"No!" Ichigo used all his strength to flip her beneath him and pin both her hands above her head, causing her short revealing top to dangerously climb higher on her breasts.

"Ooh…," Yoruichi said in awe, controlling her fit of unrestrained laughter, "very stylish Byakuya-bo. I'm sure all the girls will swoon," Yoruchi chuckled, attempting to sit up again.

Both Rien and Ichigo's heads snapped towards the dining room entrance where Byakuya stood, eyes wide with shock. They didn't know how long he had been standing there in his stealthy gigai. A light blush had appeared on Byakuya's cheeks as he turned his head politely away.

Ichigo hastily climbed off of Rien, who silently accepted his shirt and drowned in the excess fabric as she placed the garment over her head. Ichigo sat shirtless and looked like a tomato, and even Rein was a deep shade of copper. It felt like Byakuya's mere presence had sucked the fun out of the room. Yoruichi and Kisuke were the only ones who looked unphased. Kisuke rolled on the ground laughing and pointing at Ichigo and Rien with his fan. Yoruichi stomped on him as she got up, effectively ending his laughter.

"Breakfast, Byakuya-bo?" Yoruichi affectionately beamed, pulling him by the elbow into the room.

"I have asked you to refrain from calling me that," Byakuya corrected, having composed himself by then.

"You can't tell the _Goddess __of __Flash_ what to do my little Byakuya," Yoruichi teased, trying to make him feel included in the fun and insults.

Ichigo decided he had done nothing wrong, and defiantly scowled at Byakuya, daring him to comment. Byakuya said nothing. He serenely sat, crossed legged, in the available seat next to Rien and thoughtfully ate his breakfast. Byakuya averted his eyes as he saw the bare thighs that Ichigo's t-shirt did not cover.

Last night was uncomfortable enough, but after this morning, Rien wished she could simply crawl out of her skin. Byakuya looked more heartbreakingly handsome this morning than he had when she first saw him yesterday. Simple again: dark blue fitted jeans and a black short sleeved t-shirt. Even though it was simple, it all looked expensive, probably was, the again, Byakuya could probably make a brown paper bag look expensive.

Rien almost immediately jumped up when she felt Byakuya's knee accidentally touch hers under the table. It was obviously a mistake, but he did not move away to correct it. He didn't say any more, just silently ate. Rien had felt this strange shift in his mood recently, especially here in the world of the living, constantly masking his significant reiatsu was probably tiring, she decided. Rien pushed her useless thoughts about him aside and quickly ate, excusing herself soon after, before anyone else had finished.

Rien had finally come to the conclusion that she had done nothing wrong either, and had nothing to be embarrassed about, this was her home, and she could do as she pleased while she was still in it. He could dictate all he wanted when they returned to his house, she decided. Not that she would listen, even then. Rein got up and walked to the door, Byakuya didn't even look up. Rien defiantly stood at the door and took Ichigo's shirt off, throwing it back to Ichigo.

"Thanks, Ichi-Nii," she said, unashamedly tall at the doorway. She then left to shower.

* * *

When Rien emerged after her much needed shower, she wore a very short black pleated skirt and a cute v-neck red shirt. It was a typical outfit, and would easily blend in with any other girl's in Karakura town. Rien wore the outfit with a generous helping of grace and a hint of mischief. She knew she would not get another opportunity to wear these types of clothes for a long time. She wasn't sure, but she imagined the outfit being grounds for incarceration if anyone saw her walking through the conservative Seireitei. Not that there was anything scandalous about the outfit, but just because it was unusual, and would probably need to be studied by Mayuri. Rien's irritation flared, thinking about him.

She was ready to go, she had resigned herself to her fate. She had decided that if she was going down, then she would be leaving as herself, and so her small rebellion of wearing this outfit was important to her.

When she emerged, she was ready to say her goodbyes and leave, but found Ichigo and Tatsuki sparring in the cleared out dining room with wooden kendo swords. Byakuya stood on the porch outside the open dining room door, disinterestedly leaning against a pillar, his hands in his jeans pockets, pretending not to watch the fight.

"You'll get your chance in a minute, Rien," Ichigo breathed heavily as he tried to dodge Tatsuki's attack. Rien's socked feet made no sound as she warily walked around the fight and went to stand next to Byakuya. He briefly glanced at her before his eyes returned to the fight.

_Thwak_. Ichigo got hit again.

"What does Kurosaki Ichigo study?" Byakuya's question seemed to come out of nowhere. "The university looked respectable," he added, seeing her confusion.

She knew what he meant – _'__it __looked __too __respectable __for __Ichigo __to __be __going __there__'_. Before she realised what she was doing, she backhandedly flicked him on the shoulder…like she would have anyone else. His eyes momentarily widened, and a gentle crease had begun to form on his brow before he turned from her and controlled his expression into nonchalance.

She couldn't believe what she had done, and was immediately sorry, but instead she began nervously rambling and trying to answer his question more seriously.

"You should give him more credit. Ichigo is carrying on his family traditions, just like you and Ishida," she revealed. It irked Byakuya that she suggested that he was in any way similar to that neanderthal or that dull Quincy.

"Tatsuki is training as a paramedic, and Inoue, Ishida, and Ichigo are in med school for the long hall. Ichigo wants to take over his dad's community clinic. I don't know if Ishida has a choice or not, but his dad is the head surgeon and runs Karakura Hospital, and I'm sure Ryuuken wants Ishida to one day take over, although I'm not sure Ishida will. And Inoue, well…natural talent," Rien smiled at Baykuya, hoping that by now, he had forgotten all about her flicking him on the shoulder.

Byakuya folded his arms across his chest, said nothing, and pretended to look uninterested again. He obviously hadn't forgotten. Rien noticed the ripple of his muscles as his t-shirt stretched slightly over his bicep, she hadn't ever had the opportunity to notice how well toned he was. Byakuya was a tall guy, six feet, but his frame was not wide and brutish. His muscles didn't look excessively large or too defined, just lean, beautiful and efficient…like he could snap someone's neck if he needed to. The thought kind of turned her on. The silver of his skin looked breath taking against the black of the shirt…She turned away before her eyes became too dreamy.

"Huh, take that Kurosaki," Tatsuki triumphantly jumped around, waving the wooden katana. "Like taking candy from a baby – a crying, helpless, strawberry of a baby," she added.

"Hey Rien," Tatsuki called for her to honour the accepted challenge from last night. Rein walked in without a second glance to Byakuya.

"Before we start, I wanna give you this," Tatsuki whispered at the far end of the dining room, while Ichigo remained sprawled out in the middle of the floor.

"Keigo gave it to me this morning, to give to you," Tatsuki had retrieved something from her dojo bag, and now held an unsealed envelope out in front of Rien.

"It's not another picture of him in a speedo, with his phone number on the back, is it?" Rien warily waved the envelope away.

"No," Tatsuki assured her, removing the contents of the envelope.

"You and Rukia's brother won the best dressed couple competition last night. Keigo accepted the prize on your behalf, and two copies of the photo," Tatsuki explained.

"But, we're not a couple, we didn't even go together," Rien protested, still pushing the things away.

"I don't think the photographer judging the contest cared about technicalities. And if you take a look at the photo, you'll see how easy it was for him to make the assumption. He gave two copies of the photo he took that won you guys the prize," Tatsuki explained while shoving the photo into Rien's hand.

"You can see why he made the mistake," Tatsuki teased, pointing to the photo they were both now staring at. "For two people who are not a couple, you guys sure look cosy," she winked and nudged Rien.

Rien couldn't believe what she was seeing. Rien hadn't noticed a flash as they had danced in the garden, then again, she hadn't noticed anyone but Byakuya while she was in his arms. Now there was evidence. The picture was a close up of the top halves of their bodies as they danced, their arms possessively around eachother, their eyes staring deeply into one and other, and their lips a whisper apart. Their faces were crystal clear, and the angle of the picture made it look like they were about to kiss eachother. It was taken completely out of context, Rien thought, no such thing was ever in danger of happening.

Rien resisted the temptation to caress Byakuya's handsome face in the picture. It was a breathtaking picture…but, none of it was real.

"It was just a dance. The perspective of the picture makes it look like more than it was. We are not romantically involved, never have been, never will be," Rein tried to make it sound matter-of-fact, and explain the picture away to Tatsuki.

"Whatever you say. No one who sees that picture is gonna believe you though," Tatsuki suggested.

"I thought you said there were two copies, where's the other one?" Rien asked, assuming Keigo had swiped it.

"I gave the other copy to Byakuya-san. One for you, one for him, just like the photographer's note said," Tatsuki explained.

"Someone should kill me right now," Rien sighed, slapping her hand onto her forehead. She turned to see Byakuya staring straight at them, and she quickly hid the offending photo behind her back. No one in Seireitei should ever find this picture. No one anywhere should ever see it again.

"Byakuya-san put his picture in his bag and said that I should give you the other prizes, and that you should take whoever you wanted," Tatsuki explained.

He's probably just going to throw it away, after he shreds it into indistinguishable pieces with Senbonzakura, Rien gloomily thought.

Rein read the voucher Tatsuki placed in her free hand – a romantic dinner for two, all expenses paid, at an exclusive restaurant. "You have it," Rien offered Tatsuki. Rien would never be able to use it.

"Oh yeah…Rukia's brother was talking to Ichigo about you going home with him," Tatsuki remembered, gratefully accepting the voucher. "If you're sure?" Tatsuki asked.

"I am. I won't get the opportunity to use it, and you deserve some kind of a reward for Byakuya dragging you to the dance. He was _your_ date after all," Rien smiled, Tatsuki blushed a little.

_All __expenses __paid_. Tatsuki began to dream of all the glorious things she could eat.

"How can you guys be living together and still insist that nothing is going on between you two?" Tatsuki was nothing if not direct.

Rien looked up, to find Byakuya still staring intently in their direction. He was obviously listening in by now – maybe she should talk to him about eavesdropping. "Our families know eachother, and he only puts up with me because he has to," Rien explained, still looking straight into Byakuya's quicksilver.

"It looks like more than that to me, but what do I know," Tatsuki suggested, aware of the intimate way they were now both looking at eachother, like she wasn't even in the room.

"He's just over-protective, he's like that with a lot of people," Rien tried to explain it away.

"Uh…ha," Tatsuki disbelievingly replied.

"Hey, first one to ten points wins, okay?" Tatsuki tried to steer the subject away from their denial, to something more productive – battle! "Ichigo, you score," she suggested, kicking Ichigo who was still lying on the floor.

Kendo was different from the way Rien normally trained, no powers, no shunpo, no sharp magical katana that could decapitate people…All kendo required was technical sword skills and was fought with a wooden sword. Rien had never tried something like kendo before, but decided to treat it the same as normal training with Byakuya, just without the katana, and without Byakuya.

"I'll go a little easy on you, coz you have never done kendo before," Tatsuki magnanimously offered.

"Don't. I'll never be able to enjoy my victory if I knew you were flying at half mast," Rien affectionately taunted.

"Ten bucks on Tatsuki," Ichigo joked.

"A hundred on Rien," Byakuya countered, pulling a note out of his pocket.

"Uh…Sure, I'll take that action. You saw Tatsuki just beat me down, right?" Ichigo asked, after he got over the shock that Byakuya had agreed to bet, and on Rien who had admittedly never done kendo before – he thought Byakuya was smarter than that. Rien wouldn't be able to use any powers, and Tatsuki was stronger than she looked and almost unbeatable to Ichigo.

"It is a matter of pride – I train Rien in this skill," Byakuya stopped leaning and stood a little straighter as he said it, and Ichigo could imagine the kenseikan and flowing scarf.

"How's zanpakuto training been going without a zanpakuto?" Ichigo tried to rattle Byakuya's confidence, but was unsuccessful. Byakuya simply menacingly towered over Ichigo, standing straighter than usual, before turning his attention to the fight.

Rien picked up the wooden katana left on the floor by Ichigo. An uneasy feeling rose within her, almost like her own voice was screaming in protest. Rien shook her head, trying to physically shake the strange feeling rising in her. It slowly got quieter. Tatsuki just looked at her strange behaviour, already in her stance. Rien took up a stance she had never seen before. Her training must be strange, Tatsuki thought before she launched herself at Rien.

Tatsuki hit Rien with her full force, Rien easily saw the attack and defended, but the resulting vibrations she felt down the length of the wooden katana made her hands feel like they burnt on the hilt. Tatsuki was stronger, and over powered Rien.

"One point to Tatsuki," Ichigo smugly screamed, glancing sideways at Byakuya.

And in the very next moment…

"One point to Rien," Ichigo called, slightly less enthusiastically.

"Second point to Tatsuki," he added after a while of parrying and defending from both girls.

Rien was assessing the situation. She now felt confident that she could win. Rien easily dodged a few more of Tatsuki's attacks. Tatsuki was a good friend, and she knew Tatsuki would never want Rien to let her win, but Rien decided to let her get in a few shots and make it look close. Rien saw Ichigo's face fall as she dodged another of Tatsuki's emotion-filled attacks, Tatsuki appeared to be enjoying the spar, but Ichigo looked a little pale, and Rien wondered why.

"Two, three, no…four points to Rien," Ichigo sighed.

"Go Rien," Yoruichi cheered, having just joined the crowd of spectators from the Urahara shop who were eagerly watching the beautiful fight.

At least one person was supporting her, Rien thought. Rien turned in Yoruichi's direction and smiled, only to be whacked on the shoulder and the leg by Tatsuki.

"Four all," Ichigo cheered.

"Concentrate Rien," Byakuya scolded. Rien glared at Byakuya, only to have Tatsuki get in two more good hits, just to piss Byakuya off.

"Six to Tatsuki," Ichigo cheered.

Rien gracefully swung the wooden katana out in a sweeping arc, hitting Tatsuki twice, only to change hands and pivot to hit her two more times on her back and bottom as Rien's socked feet slid past her.

"Eight points to Rien," Ichigo sighed.

"Ooh, so stylish," Kisuke commented. "What have you been teaching our little Rien?" he laughed, turning towards Byakuya. It was true, Rien seemed to have picked up the same dramatic flair that Byakuya normally fought with. All those endless days spent swishing at air during training were evident in her muscle memory, Byakuya's constant criticisms of her stance and his insistence that she learn the correct way to do things, made Rien's attacks seem like a deadly dance.

Rien had felt incompetent and unworthy for such a long time, and only now came to the realisation that the reason she lost every fight was because she trained with Jyuushiro and Byakuya. Rien wouldn't have been able to win against either taichou, they had a few hundred years of training and experience. Tatsuki was physically powerful, but her movements were slow and predictable when compared to Byakuya's deadly precision. Rien could have easily won the fight long ago, but did not want to obliterate Tatsuki's confidence. Rien allowed Tatsuki to get in two more hard shots, bruising her thigh and her hand. Tatsuki's power was formidable, but Rien knew speed would always be more deadly.

"Eight, all," Ichigo cheered, only to correct himself a moment later. "Ten to Rien. Rien wins," he sulked.

Tatsuki didn't even see Rien's last two shots as Rien slid to a crouch behind her, dramatically sheathing the wooden sword, like she would a real katana. She only now felt the slight sting on the front of her thigh and the back of her calf muscle. Tatsuki finally turned around as Rien stood up from her crouched position near the ground. She was energised from the fight, she had finally found someone good enough to spar with, someone who would challenge her to better her skills. Ichigo was pretty good at kendo, not that she would ever admit it to him, but Rien's emotionless style and flair was beautiful to watch, even when hit Rien expression never changed, she simply always looked thoughtful, like she was planning her next move.

"Good match," Tatsuki bowed to Rien.

"Yeah, that was close," Rien lied, bowing respectfully back.

"Your teacher must be brilliant," Tatsuki added. Rien's eyes involuntarily darted to Byakuya who was looking smugly at Ichigo.

"He likes to think he is," Rien admitted, placing the wooden sword against the wall.

"I've had mandatory training almost every day of my life," Rien admitted, to make Tatsuki feel better. Although Rien's beautiful features appeared delicate, beneath her feathery soft skin were muscles of steel that remembered every swing she had ever taken.

"I will dedicate my time to improving my skills, until we next battle," Tatsuki bowed in respect, and went off to beat Ichigo over the head for screaming so loudly during the fight.

The strange feeling had stopped now that she had put the wooden katana down. Rien looked down at her hands, they looked almost burnt. She quickly closed her hands into fists so no one would see, they would heal in a few minutes anyway, and she didn't feel like being fussed over in her last few minutes at home. She was probably allergic to the wood or something. Rien picked up the unsealed envelope with the picture inside it.

"I see Byakuya all over you," Rien heard Yoruichi say from behind her.

"What?" Rien snapped up, turned around, and hid the envelope behind her back.

"Your fighting style is very similar to his. I remember catching him endlessly swishing through air when he was younger, and then making him play hide and seek with me. He was such a nice boy, impulsive and obsessive, but very kind hearted. But I guess all his training paid off," Yoruichi explained.

"He's still a nice boy, but now I'm the one stuck swishing through air," Rien smiled.

"Your form is beautiful. You're graceful, decisive, and dramatic, and it's all tempered with compassion….you could have quickly ended the fight, but unlike Byakuya, you don't feel the need to crush your opponent," Yoruichi thoughtfully added.

"Your technical skills have soared since we last saw you fight," Kisuke added, walking up behind Yoruichi, only to have her comfortingly lean back into him. Rein involuntarily flashed back to the contentment that washed over her as she leaned back into Byakuya, the security she had felt as he had towered over her and ran his fingers along her bare skin…_No_! _She __knew __she __would __pay._

"Byakuya would say that compassion is a weakness in battle," Rien half-heartedly replied, revealing that she knew Byakuya far too well. She suddenly excused herself to her room so she could hide the photo in her bag, where Yoruichi and anyone else wouldn't happen to see it.

Rien heard Inoue, Tatsuki, and Yoruichi scream in the dining room and immediately left her bedroom and ran to them. Rien walked in in time to see Ichigo smirk and affectionately punch Ishida in the shoulder. Yoruchi was almost jumping up and down, and her and Tatsuki's eyes were almost merging with Inoue's left hand.

After a missed beat of her heart, Rien walked over to them, her stomach had already dropped, and she knew what the commotion had been all about. Rien appropriately gasped as she saw the sizeable but elegant platinum ring, all the diamonds were set in the shape of a Quincy cross.

"It's beautiful," Rien said in awe, now also bending with the other two to get a better look. "Congratulations," Rien said, hugging Inoue and squeezing her tightly, only to have Yoruichi and Tatsuki also join in the hug and smother Inoue and Rien in the middle.

"Congratulations, this must be a happy time for you both," Rien heard Byakuya say to Ishida, while she was still held captive in the bone-crushing hug.

Once freed, Rien ran over to Ishida, only to stop a little uncertainly in front of him once she saw him begin to blush. "Hey you," Rien addressed him, "I am happy beyond measure that you both have found eachother," she said, kissing Ishida's cheek and then hugging him. Ishida slowly wrapped his arms around her.

"She loves you completely, just as you should be loved," Rien whispered to him alone as he exhaled into her strawberry scented hair. He had been worried about her reaction all morning, but he now realised that she had always been a true friend to him and would continue to be one, even when they had been more, they were always friends. His worry felt silly in her arms.

"Tatsuki is going to be my maid of honour, and you have to be at least a bride's maid," Inoue gushed from behind her. Rien let go of Ishida, and turned, waving her arms as if to say no, but looking into Inoue's hopeful eyes made it difficult to refuse her.

"I can't promise anything, but if I am allowed to return, then I will," Rien agreed, only to have the life squeezed out of her once more.

"Ishida, can I borrow your _fiancé_ for a minute," Rien teased him.

"Ooh, fiancé sounds so grown up," Inoue smiled.

Rien tugged Inoue's arm. "Bye, Uryuu," Inoue said, and then delicately kissed him. Ishida hated when Rien called him by his name, so she had only ever called him Uryuu when annoyed or trying to taunt him…he obviously _didn__'__t_ hate it when Inoue said it.

Rien dragged Inoue to her bedroom with Tatsuki and Yoruichi in tow. "So, come on, it is my right to know everything, I did save his life once," Rien joked as everyone settled on her bed.

"Isn't this Byakuya-san's jacket?" Inoue noticed it lying on the non-used pillow of Rien's bed and hoped against hope that her interruption last night was only momentary.

"I was cold," Rien tried to look accusingly at Yoruichi, now that she remembered she should be mad at her for last night. Inoue's heart sank a little.

"Don't change the subject Inoue, we want it all, word for word," Rien was relentless. It was hard to live vicariously without the details. But, truth be told, Rien didn't know if she could handle the details.

"Okay. When we left the dance, Uryuu said he wanted to take me somewhere. We went to that waterfall near his house, where he used to sometimes train…," she paused, her eyes going dreamy.

"It was beautiful and so peaceful, and we just stood there for a while, while he held from behind and we watched the waterfall and the night sky. I guess he was nervous, and I kept catching him looking at me and then turning away like he wasn't. After a while, he said:

_I haven't been here since we started dating. I used to come here often, to be alone, and get away from everyone else, and sometimes to think. But, I haven't felt alone or like I needed to get away ever since I let you into my heart._

"I thought it was so sweet of him to say, and he's often like that, so I didn't expect what happened next," she admitted.

"He walked around to in front of me and went down on bended knee and took this little velvet blue box out. I almost screamed when he opened it and I saw it was a ring. I tried my best not to cry and ruin the moment, but I could feel the tears welling in my eyes," Inoue looked around, and saw tears welling up in the eyes of all her friends. It felt good to have such close friends she could share this with.

"He took the ring out of the box and said:

_I have never loved anyone as I have loved you, and on my pride as a Quincy and my honour as a man, I promise to love you forever. Would you do me the honour of being my wife?_

"And I just couldn't say anything but yes. I have loved him so strongly and I have wanted to be able to call myself his wife, but I just didn't think he was the marrying type. He never talked to me about before. I knew that he loved me, but…," Inoue squealed with delight. There had always been that small spec of doubt in Inoue's mind due to Ishida and Rien's close relationship. Ishida and Rien always seemed so comfortable with one and other, like they could fall back into loving eachother at any moment and she would be cast out. But, without any pressure or prompting, Ishida had chosen her to love forever.

"He really loves me," Inoue began crying out of nowhere.

"Of course he does, how could he not," Rien assured her, wiping stray tears from both their cheeks.

"You _must_ come for the wedding," Inoue pleaded once more.

"I promise to do my very best to make that happen, I have to first see what the situation is when I return. Speaking off, we should be off," Rien added. Byakuya had been very patient this morning, but considering what was waiting for her when she got back to Seireitei, it was probably guilt that forced his patience.

They all returned to the dining room to say their goodbyes.

"Romantic devil, aren't you," she teased Ishida as she hugged him goodbye.

"No! She didn't tell you…everything, did she?" Ishida blushed and looked accusingly at Inoue.

"Not _everything_," Inoue suggestively added, making Ishida even more self-conscious, forcing him to push the bridge of his glasses up so at least his eyes were unreadable.

"You don't have to go, you know," Ishida whispered back to Rien as he hugged her close. "Ichigo and I will find a way," he added, refusing to let her go, and breathing her in more deeply, like he would never be able to drown in her strawberry-lavender infusion again.

"You should not have to," she repeated what she had previously said. "I'll be okay, you don't have to worry about me," she lied, as she regretfully slipped out of Ishida's comforting arms. His arms were the place she had felt most protected, and she knew that was why she found herself instinctively waking up in them when she was scared. Ishida hid nothing from her, and was always there for her...and she was happy for him.

All her friends left, to save Tatsuki from seeing Byakuya open a senkai. Byakuya now stood, patiently waiting, no longer in his gigai. Rien felt a little self-conscious that he was wearing the new captain's haori, and didn't have his usual kenseikan or scarf on. Yoruichi noticed the change and slyly winked at Rien, making her turn copper. Why could she never hide anything from her all-knowing sister?

Yoruichi and Kisuke were the only ones left to say goodbye to, and Kisuke looked more reluctant than Yoruichi to let Rien go. Yoruichi had filled Rien's bag with her old training clothes that she used to wear while training with Kisuke, and old shinigami academy uniforms, that Yoruichi swore were made better in her day. Yoruichi and Kisuke both hugged Rien at once, and began repeatedly kissing either side of her cheek.

"Gosh you guys are embarrassing," Rien complained while she giggled.

"But you're so cute and little, remember," Yoruichi teased, throwing some of Rien's earlier words to Ichigo back in her face.

"I'm not little!" Rien moaned. "I'm 5ft4 and you're 5ft2, so who's little now?" Rien straightened to her full height, and loomed a little proudly over Yoruichi.

"Always you, my kitten," Yoruichi beamed, leaning up to kiss her cheek once more.

Byakuya resisted the urge to roll his eyes at them. Instead, he picked up her bags and went through the opened senkai, and Rien followed reluctantly behind, leaving the life she really wanted to live behind in the world of the living. She had felt so isolated living in the Kuchiki manor, and now she was yet again banished to her solitude.

"I promise to visit more," Rien heard Yoruichi scream as the senkai closed.

* * *

Byakuya had opened his own senkai, and so they emerged within the Kuchiki manor. She followed him silently to her bedroom. She opened the door, and he waited for an invitation before he went in and placed her bag next to her bed. As he floated past her, she caught his sleeve. He looked down at her, confused.

"Before you take me in, can I at least say bye to Renji and Rukia?" she shyly said, not looking up at him.

"Where do you think I'm taking you?" Byakuya evenly inquired.

"To…Mayuri," she sighed, "he'll probably want a sample of me or something, so he can figure out why the hollows are after me," Rien explained her thought processes, letting go of his sleeve. She removed the black thigh high boots Yoruichi had given her, readying herself to change into the black and red training outfit. She would at least have her own clothes this time, she morosely thought.

"You think I'm taking you to Kurotsuchi taichou?" Byakuya could not understand how she had gotten that impression.

"Soul Society sent you because I was causing trouble, so I expect they will want to study me further," Rien had incorrectly assumed.

"It's okay, don't feel guilty or anything, not that you would. I'm not mad at you, not that you'd care if I was," Rien added. It had recently made her uncomfortable to be alone with him. He was unpredictable. She could never guess what he was thinking or predict how he would behave. He usually either hated her or wanted to torture her, neither of which ever ended well for either of them.

"You came with me, even though you thought I was going to hand you over to Kurotsuchi taichou?" Byakuya inquired in his flat expressionless tone, giving nothing away. He couldn't believe she was actually trying to make him feel better about hypothetically condemning her to torture.

"I didn't want you to get into trouble or anything, I know you've probably been ordered. And you were nice enough to come and clean up the mess I made by going over there, so I figured, I owe you," Rien nervously rambled as Byakuya stalked closer to her. She apprehensively backtracked until she could go no further and was flush against the wall next to her desk. She could not understand why Byakuya continued to move closer to her. He was probably trying to intimidate her, she guessed. Had she said something wrong?

With a speed that would have made any enemy cower, he placed his hands on the wall on either side of her head, making escape impossible. He was tired of her continuously running from him. As his eyes held hers, he could see every emotion cross them, every plan she was concocting to keep her distance from him. He would not allow it.

"Are we living in different worlds?" he asked as his warm breath danced across her skin, causing goose bumps to prick up all over her body.

"What would give you the impression that I would ever again allow that monster to touch you?" Byakuya's annoyance was evident, but he continued to move his face closer to hers. He was tired of this uncertainty that lingered between them. He hated that the most dominant impression she seemed to have of him was the once he first cast – of the man who cared so little about her that he could condemn her to torture.

"Have my actions not proven that I would do anything to protect you?" He was leaning down so close, that his cascading hair tickled her cheek.

"I don't want your protection," she irritably replied.

"And yet you have it," he matched her tone.

"Perhaps I welcomed the change. Maybe my time with Mayuri was less painful than standing here with you, right now," she explained, turning her face away from his, but she could move no further with his body and arms all around her.

"I protect only what must be protected," his words dripped with ice as he turned her face towards his once more. Even with their close proximity, Rien had not expected his gentle touch on her cheek. She gulped as her mouth suddenly became dry, and her heart increased its shallow erratic rhythm.

"You would rather be anywhere else, than here with me?" he transformed the hurt he felt into anger, now securely holding her arms within his hands, and menacingly glaring down at her. His hands felt so gentle on her arms, but undoubtedly possessive as he moved her away from the wall and closer to him. Why was she never afraid of him? Any other girl would have withered away by now. Her defiance was evident as her large blue eyes looked up into his, but there was so much more than defiance in her electric blue, there were emotions that ran so much deeper between them.

"You're eyes say one thing and your lips another, which should I believe?" venom coated his every word.

"Aren't you the pot calling the kettle black," she shouted, pushing his shoulders and shunpo'ing out of his grip, leaving an after-image of herself behind. He had not thought her capable of the speed required for _utsusemi_. Yoruichi's meddling influence was everywhere he turned these days.

"What does that mean?" Byakuya did not understand the silly human expression, and was unsure of how to respond.

"It means I hate your eyes, so keep them to yourself and I'll do the same," she replied in irritation.

"My eyes do not say anything I do not mean," he replied, more calmly.

_A beat of silence._

"You know what, you're right. We're supposed to be friends, and I'm the one ruining this shambles of a friendship that we have. You should be able to dance with a friend, and help them out with a clothing malfunction without them reading more into it or freaking out. I'm sorry for treating you so unfairly; you cannot help how I feel. That is my own fault. Please forgive the way I have acted recently. You were in love once, you must remember how it felt," her large blue eyes looked vulnerably up to his.

_I__'__m __in __love __now_, he thought but could not bring himself to say it.

He remembered what it felt like to be in love with Hisana, and it had felt nothing like this, which is perhaps why he had not immediately realised his growing affection for Rien until it was too late and he had already fallen.

His love for Hisana was filled with concern, compassion, and acceptance. They had both always been truthful with eachother, and he had known what he was getting himself into, but he had hoped that the love he showered upon her would be enough to allow her sadness to melt away – but it never was. Hisana never allowed herself to be happy, and they both suffered as a result of it. Hisana had been the perfect companion to his restrained, solemn nature; because she withheld so much of herself, she understood and accepted his boundaries – that there were parts of himself that were only his, parts that he could not share with anyone.

Rien had no such understanding and respected no boundaries he tried to maintain between them. She always demanded more of him, challenging him, even daring him to reveal more of himself. He hated her at times. It was that affectionate hate only born out of intense feelings. She was insane. How could she enjoy fighting with him? Perhaps she enjoyed the predictable way his control would slip every time. Her smug satisfaction when he became angry was annoying, and only served to intensify his hatred, causing him to fight dirty.

When they fought, he couldn't use any tools in his usual arsenal: avoidance didn't work; glaring didn't seem to work either; he had never succeeded in invoking fear in her; and she was now too strong to bend to the pressure of his reiatsu. Holding her seemed to be the only thing that worked – it efficiently shut her up, allowing them both to calm down due to their closeness, and usually ending the argument they were having all together.

She had never been afraid, and certainly not of him, not even as he ran her through with Senbonzakura. He sometimes wished she would feel fear, it would be a sobering experience for her, and make her realise what it feels like for him when she places herself in danger.

What he felt for Rien was so different from what he thought love should feel like, from what his life with Hisana had been like, that at times he wasn't sure what he was feeling. It became futile to continue his denial the more time he spent with her. His feelings for Rien were this chaotic, complex rush he felt when he was around her, and then the serene contentment he felt when he was holding her. And now, his indecision tortured them both. He refused to be without her, and at the same time his logical self-restraint would not allow him to give in to his feelings for her.

He did not reply to her previous words but instead began an investigation of his own. It had been plaguing him. "Do you love the Quincy? You were hurt today, when you found out about their engagement." Byakuya had watched her carefully as she realised that her beloved Quincy had chosen another, and he saw the momentary flicker of pain before she hid it beneath joy.

"Why are you so interested in how I feel about him?" she asked. She could not understand Byakuya's fascination with the topic. If it were any other man, she would have assumed it were jealousy, but Byakuya did not think about her in that way.

He did not answer.

"Of course I love him, I always will. He is the only man to ever love me, and besides the fact that we did not make love, we know eachother intimately," she replied in frustration as she angrily paced.

"I only asked to make sure you were okay. I don't want you to feel any unnecessary pain, if you don't have to," he flatly replied.

_That __was __rich __coming __from __him_, she thought.

"Shove your concern up your…I'm sorry, I'm doing it again. We're friends, so of course you should be interested in how I feel, but I am afraid if we have this conversation that I will say something you don't want to hear, and you will end up never speaking to me again," she apprehensively revealed.

"Were you not the one that requested that we be honest with eachother?" Byakuya's logic, as always, was flawless, especially when he wanted information.

"I suppose, but I sometimes feel like I'm the only passenger in this honesty train," she argued. "I can't even ask you to promise me that we will still be friends after, because..."

"I promise," he interjected. There was nothing she could say, and nothing she could be, to keep him away from her. He could not find the right words to explain how he felt, and he would have shown her by now if she didn't seem so unwilling.

"Don't," she sighed.

"I already have, and I take my promises very seriously," he added for good measure as he strolled further in and sat at the foot of her bed, hoping she would forget about keeping her distance from him for once. He could deny it all he wanted, but without all his usual accessories to remind him he was Kuchiki Byakuya, he was a lot more like himself, far more compassionate than he usually allowed himself to be.

He had actually sat down. He usually just lurked. Rien was slightly confused by his intense interest, and paced back and forth in front of him.

"You love him?" Byakuya offered her a place to start. Even though she had stated it before, he posed it as a question, because he still could not understand how she could love them both. Perhaps, somewhere deep within the unexplored recesses of his heart, he was afraid she had just realised that she had made a mistake and had loved only the Quincy all along. Perhaps that's why she kept her distance from him now.

"Yeah," she reluctantly replied, which didn't give Byakuya much to work with, and did not reassure him in the least. This must be a similar type of frustration that others felt when speaking to him, he concluded. He couldn't remember the last time he was interested in what someone was thinking or feeling.

"Did you not know this before this morning?" he interrogated.

"Of course I knew, I'm not an idiot," she irritably replied to his probing.

"Then why were you hurt when you found out about their engagement?" It came out almost sounding like an accusation, like he had finally caught her out.

"Look, let's get one thing straight, I'm genuinely happy for them," she insisted. Who the hell did he think he was, asking her to admit to things she barely allowed herself to think, let alone say out loud.

"But?"

"But I know him, I know why he asked her yesterday, I know why he waited." Rien debated whether or not to be truthful with Byakuya. She was sure he would hate her, but did they both not deserve the truth for once. Would it not be better for her to die with the truth than live with a lie?

"They have been living together almost as long as we have, he loved her for a long time, even before he knew me. I would have done exactly as he had, it's the only honourable option. It is irresponsible to marry someone you cannot give yourself completely to." Rien delivered her first blow, to no reaction.

"He waited to see me, to make sure that he had made the right decision, that he didn't have any lingering romantic feelings for me that would later tear his marriage apart. Like I said, I understand and would do the same thing…it's just sad, like the end of an era. This crazy picture keeps popping into my head, of him seeing me the other day and thinking, 'Thank God I didn't make that mistake'. I know it's only my loneliness that makes me think those irrational thoughts. I don't really believe he would ever think like that. Our love was never intense enough to tie ourselves to eachother in marriage, we just understand eachother," Rien revealed, and finally stopped pacing in front of him. Her large liquid blue eyes looked deeply into his quicksilver, causing her to become reckless again, and sit down on the bed next to him, her hand inches away from where he placed his, wanting, but not daring to touch him.

Byakuya's eyes were a unique combination of compassion, concern, and anger. He was surprisingly good at listening, and after a pregnant pause, she slowly began admitting her most vulnerable thoughts to him because she wanted him to know her, like she knew him. "But, because we were momentarily together, when I look at how happy he made Inoue, it really hurts…because in my most silly moments, I feel like that could have been me, for a while, until he realised that we didn't love eachother enough, and that he really loved her all along." Her eyes welled up with tears, but she did not allow them to fall. "It hurts because I will never have that, with anyone," she took a controlling breath, while she inspected her socked feet dangling off the edge of the bed .

"And it hurts most of all because it's entirely my fault, because I'm weak-willed, and I couldn't force myself to love him and not you. Maybe I'm wrong, but true love should feel like you live and die in every touch, it should be so much more than words can express. I would never hurt Ishida the way you were hurt. I would never half-heartedly marry him, even if he loved me enough to ask," Rien dealt her final blow to their friendship. She knew they would not survive.

_Silence._

"I knew we should not have discussed it," she sighed, wiping her tears from her cheeks and standing up, walking around her bed and him and climbing into it. She smothered herself with some pillows, hoping this was one of those nightmares she could wake up from.

"Senbonzakura is far too revealing about the subject, you should tell him to shut up, he doesn't listen when I say it. I'm sorry if how I feel about it hurts you, I won't discuss it again," Rien offered, looking at his back, still seated at the foot of her bed.

She scrambled out from under the covers, straightening her short black pleated skirt and red top, and scooted to the end of the bed, just behind him. "I'm sorry, okay. I don't know what I'm saying, I'm just stupid," she added as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him from behind. Surprisingly, he didn't recoil out of the hug, but he didn't turn around either, and she was too scared of his expression to look around him. They just stayed that way for a few minutes. Perhaps she needed the hug even more than he did. She knew she should let go of him, that she should stay away if she valued her sanity, but her heart was stronger than her mind and wanted nothing more than to comfort him.

"With all the loss you have experienced, I know it's scary to even think about letting someone in. I know a lot of your actions are driven by fear...,"

"I am not afraid," he angrily interrupted. At least he was still talking to her, she decided.

"You're afraid to lose people, so you become over-protective of those you care about, and isolate yourself, and never get close to or care about anyone new, because what's the point if you're just going to lose them anyway," her interpretations were surprisingly astute, now that he considered her words.

"What besides fear would motivate a man to marry someone he knew could not love him back? Only to lock his heart away when he lost her, as though her loss proved his theory that love was a pointless emotion. Can you imagine how unbearable it would have been if he lost somebody who he loved and who loved him back?" He didn't feel angry within her arms, and for that she was incredibly grateful. She wasn't trying to hurt or anger him, just let him know that she understood him.

"The intensity of the love we feel for somebody brings with it an equally intense pain if we lose them. I have never lost anyone. You have made me finally understand the danger. It is terrifying now that I think about it. You've convinced me, I now understand how pointless my love is," she conceded, unconsciously playing with a lock of his hair that fell over her fingers. Rien instinctively knew that she would gladly risk the pain to experience the radiance of his love, but she now understood why he would not, and especially why he would never with her – she gave too much of herself and required too much of him. As it stood, the thought of losing eachother was excruciating, if they were to ever love eachother, her loss would kill him as efficiently as it would killed her. People did strange things to protect themselves, Rien thought.

"Don't worry about me so much," she requested. "Promise to stop leaving me, and I will never leave you. We can both just wallow in self-pity, together," she offered. She wasn't trying to convince him of her love or promote her case, she didn't want him to simply give in to her because she was persistent, and until recently she had kept her feelings and her pain to herself. She just wanted him to know that she understood and was there for him if he needed a friend to talk to, not that he was doing much talking at the moment.

"I would rather be miserable with you than happy with anyone else," she revealed. She couldn't believe he was still letting her hug him. He wasn't hugging back, but Rien decided that this was at least a start.

"I will protect your heart, even though it will never be mine," she sighed, relaxing her body around his. She felt a peace. Holding him didn't feel awkward or strange, it felt warm and comforting – like snuggling under a warm blanket on a cold rainy day.

She placed her one leg on the ground, and half stood over him, so she could snuggle closer. She finally laid her chin on his shoulder, and held onto him tighter. Her hand moved between the open folds of his uniform, and over his heart once more.

"Live, Byakuya," she whispered, letting her lips brush his ear. She felt him hold his breath as she did it, but could not understand why.

"I feel your heart beating beneath my touch, and yet you're not alive. Give yourself permission to live again, even if it's not with me. As a friend, I am begging you, please don't condemn yourself to this. You can have so much more. I just want you to live," she brokenly whispered into his ear.

He grabbed a hold of both of her wrists, and gently but firmly removed himself from her arms. He stood up not bothering to turn around. Rien just silently sat down in his vacated spot, her one leg folded under her. She felt a bit unsteady as his electricity pulsed through her body. She lived and died in every touch. She looked at her right hand and wondered where she had gathered the boldness to touch his heart, or even to hug him for that matter. She should have been a better friend to him all along. That's what he wanted, that's what he needed, that what he had asked for. He had asked for it to be enough that they spent most of their time together. It was not enough for her, but she decided that she would stop being so selfish and conceal her hurt feelings so he would not have to feel guilty. He could not help that he did not love her, and should not constantly be reminded or feel guilty about it. He should love again, even if it wasn't her.

Byakuya simply stood at the foot of her bed, with his back to her, trying to fight against his feelings. If he spoke before he was in control, it would all come tumbling down. His heart was racing, and he regretfully had to remove her hand before she realised the effect she had on him. Perhaps he had waited too long, his thoughts were already irrational as he felt the adrenalin course through his veins. He was furious with himself. He had never meant to cause her so much pain, or for her to feel condemned to this solitude with him. Perhaps it was time to put an end to his indecision. He suddenly turned around and lunged down at her holding both her wrists above her head on the bed. She didn't have enough time to react, let alone defend.

He saw something he didn't expect clearly reflected in her eyes.

"Who's afraid now?" his voice was like silk, tenderly caressing each word as he leaned down closer to her. He could see the fear in her eyes increase as he moved closer. She was obviously not afraid of him, she didn't even bother to struggle out of his grip. What was the one thing that scared her, he wondered as his knee pushed down on the bed beside her. She liked to play this game with others, but why would it evoke fear in her when he decided to played along?

"Do you wish I were someone else?" he seductively asked, "Perhaps Kurosaki Ichigo or that Quincy?" His possessiveness was out of control in that moment. He had wanted to kiss her, but she now looked so afraid.

"Why are you doing this?" she pleaded while her body reacted against her wishes. He only required one hand to gently hold her wrists above her head, while his other supported him above her, allowing him a controlled steady descent closer and closer to her. Her heart raced in her ears and she felt like she couldn't breathe due to his subtle sakura scent intoxicating her. Did he decide to torture her for what she had said about his marriage? Perhaps she had been too harsh and deserved it, she thought.

She knew she could never escape, she closed her eyes in resignation and turned her face to the side, unwittingly exposing her beautiful, succulent neck to him. She felt his silken hair gently run up her neck as he breathed her in, stopping just below her jaw. "Stop...running...away...from me," he whispered in her ear, his lips brushing her earlobe.

And just like that, without notice, or explanation, the pressure was gone. Her hands were fee to move. She still did not feel safe enough to move or open her eyes, just in case he was still hovering above her. Why did he keep doing this to her? It was excruciating. She would not allow him the torture of a kiss, only to have to erase it from her thoughts and have it haunt her memories.

"I will see you at five pm for afternoon training," Byakuya addressed her with is usual disinterested tone, this time from her doorway, snapping her out of the thoughts. He was obviously done playing.

"Isn't that a bit late?" she finally replied, trying but failing to pull herself together, like he had, as though nothing had happened. It was always like this with him – like nothing happened, she had even expected his usual disinterest. She sat up on the bed again, noticing how hot she suddenly felt. She was unsure if she was meant to take him seriously, or pretend like nothing happened, just like every other time. She wasn't running away from him, she just refused to let his eyes lure her into being reckless with her heart any longer. She would not survive another kiss that meant nothing.

"We will have an extended training session. Eat before we leave, you will need your energy if you want to begin _real __training_. Perhaps you are ready after all," Byakuya admitted. If she had enough mental control to resist giving in to something she obviously wanted, perhaps she had enough control to handle releasing her zanpakuto.

He had controlled his desire to kiss her last night, not wanting to dull the experience by being in his gigai, but wanting his own hands and lips and body to be against hers. He could still see her love for him in her eyes, but everytime he had gotten close, there was an equal amount of fear reflected in those beautiful blue depths. He could not understand her sudden fear or what he should do to alleviate it, so he left to consider his next move. In the back of his mind, he knew what he should do, he just didn't know if he could. It had to be all or nothing with her, and he knew that.

Rien tried to distract herself, and concentrate on the excitement of finally beginning training. She knew it would be difficult, but she was up for the challenge – as long as he kept his distance – she supposed whether or not he kept his distance was probably dependant on how skilled she was at avoiding him. It sounded like they would be training somewhere special. Either that or he was going to lure her to some secluded spot so he could murder her for what she had said earlier. Rien decided she would take her chances either way.

Rien changed into her usual black training outfit with the red inner lining and black tights, the one Ishida had made for her. She sighed once more and began unpacking some of the new clothes Yoruichi had given her. She suddenly found the envelop at the bottom of the bag, and picked it up, only to find Yoruichi's untidy scrawl on the envelope:

_He __loves __you. __Don__'__t __let __him __lie __to __you __both_.

Rien could have done without all the advice everyone kept giving her. He didn't love her, it only sometimes seemed like that. She used to be fooled into believing it too, just like everyone else now was. He just enjoyed the power he felt when toying with her, she decided. Why would he condemn them both to misery if their happiness was so attainable? It would be an unnecessary torture.

* * *

**Author's note**

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. Believe me when I say that I'm as tortured as you guys when it comes to Bya and Rien. Rien is uncompromising and Byakuya is incredibly stubborn and heard-headed, which often leads to misery for them both. I feel kinda bad for Byakuya because he's really struggling with his emotions. Rien also appears to be struggling to keep her promise and to do what she thinks he wants.

Now you know a little about what she is, but the way it plays out is going to be the real test. I researched how Bleach introduces a new race or slight variation of a race, and tried to follow that format in the beginning (And by researched, I meant watched loads of Bleach related to this topic).

_*utsusemi_ –empty cicada...a shunpo technique developed by Yoruichi where copies of one's self are left to take damage, the user shunpo's out of the way so fast it leaves and afterimage behind

_*Aikido_ – is a martial arts fighting style where the force of the attacker is redirected and requires very little physical strength as the momentum of the attacker is used to throw them. This is why she is always ending up with Jyuushiro throwing her on her ass but never seriously hurting her. It's all about the attacker's strength and momentum being used against them.

How did you like the IshiHime proposal? I've been considering writing a companion IshiHime piece because I miss writing Ishida so much, what do you think? Everyone's emotions are on the page this chapter, so I hope I didn't disappoint. Like I said, I enjoy hearing from you guys, good or bad, so don't forget to REVIEW. Thanks

~ Willow~


	30. Removed Chapters

Hi all you wonderful readers.

As you guys no doubt know, FF has been cleaning out all stories with an M rating and suspending those author's accounts. So, I have decided to remove all the M-rated chapters from this story for now. I think that FF might reinstate it and there are many authors who are petitioning them to reinstate the M and MA ratings so that authors may just write whatever they want. It should also be up to the readers to choose the ratings of the stories they read and not up to FF to enforce their beliefs and curtail authors' creativity.

I know I have not posted for a while. I have not given up on the story, I was just trying to find another place to post it as I can't figure out a way to remove the M-rated stuff without losing all the story elements embedded in the steamy scenes. I hope that FF will just give up on their current crusade, but until then, I won't be posting anything more here as I don't want my account suspended and I don't want to lose all your wonderful reviews.

One of my friends has suggested another sort of FF site, namely, Your Fanfiction, which is supposed to be similar to FF where everyone can post fanfiction and review etc. but I have not had the time to adequately investigate it. When I am settled there I will post another chapter here to redirect reader traffic to the new chapters, not that they are all M rated, but it would be disjointed to have unconnected chapters here and it's difficult to write two versions of one scene just to clean out the sex.

I have an account on the 'Your Fanfiction' site called (Willow)…Yes, just Willow, as that's my name. I haven't taken any time to figure out how to navigate that site yet, but if you do happen to go there, PM me a hello so we can reconnect. Anyone who has ever PM'ed me knows what a chatter box I am, so don't be shy.

Thank you all for your encouragement and support.

Miss you all,

Willow


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